Dark-Net
by KodiakWolfe13
Summary: Batman is less than pleased when there's a new, upgraded Dark-Net online, one much more impressive than Calculator's. Of course, when he find out who the newbie is, his mood plummets further. (Criminal!Danny)
1. Creator of the Dark-Net

**7/7/16: Hey everybody! I hope you all are having a nice day; I know I am. Anyway, I would like to say to everyone that this story is currently undergoing heavy rewriting. Like, _heavy_ rewriting. I'm pretty much starting this story from scratch, so if one chapter is written really good and the next one isn't, it's because I haven't made it that far yet. Now, for my repeat readers, don't you worry about the sarcasm levels or plot twists or anything. The plot has not changed at all. Hell, I'm even reusing quotes from the original story. It's just my old way or writing was a little bit disorganized, and I'm fixing that. I'm also getting rid of my A/N's and review replies because they were clogging up the word count. ^.^ Also, for the newbies who are here because of the Those Teen Years chapter I had, don't assume you know anything about Danny's past. XD I changed the back-story quite a bit, so it would be less of a branch-off.**

**Alright, that's all I had to say. Continue on, and as always, I own nothing but the idea. This is my disclaimer, if you could not tell.**

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Ch.1: Creator of the Dark-Net

Under most circumstances, Batman didn't cuss a lot, even when he was thinking to himself. It was an unneeded habit- after all, the precious seconds one could be swearing could be used to do something _useful_ –and after a few minutes of hearing it in even casual conversations, cursing became quite irritating. Really, the only time Batman found himself swearing was when he was trying to make a point or when he was trying to convey how _pissed off_ he was. However, tonight, the Dark Knight could not stop thinking, '_The __**fuck **__is __**this shit**__?!_'

The apartment was small. Actually, no, it didn't even deserve that much. It was _tiny_. It had one room that was to serve as both the bedroom and the kitchen and one bathroom to go with it, as well as single window that the Dark Knight had climbed through. The kitchenette was normal enough, Batman guessed, but the other half of the apartment- the part that was supposed to serve as the sleeping area with maybe some leftover room for a dresser of some sort –had three tables pushed against the walls, creating a square that was lacking a side. There was a mattress stuffed roughly under the main table, a blanket and a pillow lying messily on top of the sleeping accommodation. However, that wasn't even the strangest thing about the apartment.

Two of the tables- the main one and one to the side –had four laptops sitting on top of them, two on each, along with cluttered notebooks filled with chicken-scrawl handwriting. Each laptop looked dead, but floating over the machines were holograms, all running different programs Batman didn't recognize. On the third work table, there was a large speaker, blaring some of the loudest and most obnoxious music the Dark Knight had ever heard in his life. The speaker shared the space with unidentifiable machines, all of which looked to be works-in-progress. What they were to be or used for, Batman didn't know, but he sure as hell was going to find out.

The mastermind behind the set-up was a boy, who looked like he shouldn't be living on his own yet. He was standing amongst the tables with his back to the Dark Knight, and he appeared to practically be glowing with the insane amount of light shining on him from the holograms. The teen wore casual clothing- just a black t-shirt and sweatpants –but there was a strange Bluetooth device in his ear, partially hidden by the boy's way-too-long hair.

According to the apartment's files Batman pulled up, it stated that the boy's name was Danny Fenton. _Supposedly_, he had moved in when he was 18 but was now 19, an appropriate age to be living on his own. However, Batman could not bring himself to believe this. He looked too young- more like seventeen –and from what little the Dark Knight had observed of the teen, his mental age was closer to, say, a _five-year-old_. To make matters worse, Batman had checked out some of the accounts he used to pay his rent, and the man must say, there was some pretty suspicious shit going down.

However, that was not what brought Batman to Las Vegas. No, no, no. The matter Batman was seeing to was much, _much_ more important. Sure, it wasn't saving-the-world level of importance, but the Dark Knight's work was going to save a lot of heroes a lot of trouble.

The matter at hand was a deep-web program that was infamously but simply dubbed "the Dark-Net." The program was very similar to that of Calculator's system, which he used to connect all sorts of mercenaries with paying clients. However, this particular system had many more options and varieties of crime it catered to, which was _not_ a good thing. Thus, the Dark Knight had taken it upon himself to personally see that it was taken down and, ultimately, _destroyed_.

It had taken _weeks_ to track the signal from which the program was originating from. Batman himself hadn't even been the one to finally get the coordinates! No, it took the master of computers, Oracle, to finally break through every firewall and looping system the fucking thing had. While it was a little embarrassing for the Dark Knight to have help with the mission, especially since he was a mastermind with electronics himself, it was also relieving to finally be able to capture the devious son of a bitch running the show.

However, Batman had not planned for the perpetrator to be a random teenager, probably a runaway, living in a dinky, rundown apartment…

Again, what the _fuck_ was _this shit_?

In this day of age, it wasn't odd for teens to be exceptional with computers, even being too smart with them for their own good. There were a lot of teenagers out there that knew how to do some pretty fucked up shit. However, what this teen- Danny –was doing- creating a fucking dark-web program -was beyond just being 'fucked up.' What he had managed to accomplish could put him in any heroes' _rogues gallery_; it could get him on frikkin death row for crying out loud! What the hell was this kid doing with his life?!

Completely oblivious to the Dark Knight and his plight standing directly behind him, Danny continued to boogey, dancing around like the immature kid he borderline was. He continued to sway back and forth until his music was abruptly cut off by a ringing sound. Three of the four holograms ceased to work. On the remaining hologram, a box popped up, saying in bolded print, '**Incoming Call**.'

The boy visibly slumped at the interruption, sighing irritably under his breath. He had obviously been pretty wrapped up in his ridiculous dance, but that didn't stop him from reaching up to the Bluetooth, tapping something on the side of it. The call was accepted, and on the screen, a window popped up, a man peering out from inside it. He was unfamiliar to Batman, with well-kept dark hair, tanned skin, and a dark mustache lining his lips. The view behind the man was that of a dark room, with people working furiously on dozens of computers behind him, not unlike what the teen had set up in his own apartment.

However, the Dark Knight wasn't much interested in the actual call. His attention was caught up with the box on the corner of the screen, showing a very…_interesting_ picture of what the teen supposedly looked like.

The Dark Knight had monitored the Dark-Net ever since the day he had found out about it, which meant calls, video-chats, and IMs. Heck, during those weeks, Batman had even managed to stop a few of the smaller cases that had been on the program because of the low security they had. It wasn't much, but it had been something. One of the main issues discussed frequently was the creator of the Dark-Net himself. In these discussions, Batman saw a reoccurring theme…

_No one could agree on what the creator looked like_.

It was a ridiculous conversation, but it's what the criminal underworld had a fantastic time talking about! Some claimed he was white, some said he was black, and others proclaimed that he was _blue_. People spoke of the creator being mid-aged, an elderly old man, or a _ten-year-old kid_. Hell, some of the users even said he wasn't human, that he was an anthro or-or a monster or something! Batman was only just now figuring out why that was.

In the box in the corner of the screen, from the waist up, was Danny. But it wasn't Danny at all. This Danny was much older, probably late twenties-early thirties, with snowy hair and radioactive green eyes. He stood much taller than the real-Danny was, and his ears were pointed, fangs peeked from his lips, and his fingernails were long, pointed claws. Computer-Danny only wore a white vest, showing off a toned chest that Batman doubted the real-Danny had. The only thing that remained the same, other than facial features, was the Bluetooth in the boy's ear, but it still managed to be different, as there was a translucent, green hologram hovering over one of computer-Danny's eyes.

"What?" The boy snapped at the man on the screen, his arms crossing over his chest in irritation.

The appearance of computer-Danny obviously spooked the poor guy on the other side of the line, and he seemed to quake in his seat. His eyes darted about, trying to look anywhere but at his computer screen and the intimidating figure displayed on it.

There was another thing the users of the Dark-Net liked to discuss: the Dark-Net's creator's name. See, many names had popped up for him: Ghost, Apparition, Osiris, Poltergeist, Reaper, Wraith, Doppelganger, Raven, Grimm, Daemon, Hades, Specter, Orcus, Pluto, Cerberus, Spirit, Haunt, Anubis, Hel, Banshee, and the list just went _on and on_. It never seemed to end! However, the most infamous of the aliases definitely had to be…

"Um… Mr. Phantom Sir…" The man started nervously, flinching when the image of the ghost-like figure rolled his eyes. "…you never sent me the instructions to that new program you wanted to upload. You know, the one that'll allow you to infiltrate-"

"I know the one you're talking about!" Danny snapped, shutting the poor man up instantly. The boy reached out with one hand, a second hologram screen appearing beside the one with the live video-feed, he muttered something that sounded like 'fucking idiots.' The teen searched through some sent emails he had pulled up, eventually finding the one he had been searching for. He quickly scanned through it before looking up at the man on the screen. "According to the email I sent you, it states that I clearly sent you the instructions."

The man shook his head, deepening the irritated look on Danny's face. However, the man's eyes were adverted elsewhere, so he was unaware to his mistake as he corrected, "Um, no Sir, you sent me an inscription code."

Danny let out one very long, very irked sigh that had the man on the other end paling. The teen took a moment to reach up and rub his face, reigning whatever anger he had inside of him. Then, very slowly and very deliberately, Danny asked, "Did you think that _maybe_ you were supposed to crack the inscriptions to open the instructions I sent you?"

Somehow, the man paled further as he realized his mistake. "Oh… Um, no Sir, I didn't think about it-"

"Of course you didn't, you worthless imbecile!" Danny screeched suddenly, reaching up to rip his hair from his skull. "Your brain is the size of a _pea_! What possessed me to believe that you would have enough _brain cells_ to figure out a simple process such as this?! It's not like it's an _illegal operation_ or anything! No need for security precautions _at all_, you know, just in case someone manages to catch onto the scam! Nope, no need for them at all! Everything is all sunshine and rainbows in our world!"

The man on the other side of the line looked like he was going to pee his pants, cry, or both. "I'm really sorry, Mister-"

"YOU'RE FIRED!"

There was hardly a second between Danny's outburst and his finger hitting the 'end call' button, allowing all of the computers and the stereo to come alive again. He groaned a long, miserable moan as he rubbed his temples, attempting to thwart the migraine slowly forming at the very front of his skull. Under his breath, the boy mumbled, "_God_, I hate people." With another sigh, Danny dropped his hands from his head, turned to one of the other holograms, and pulled up live video-feed taping a desert village of some sort.

Hidden in the shadows in the back, Batman shook his head at the teen's display. It was quite merciless and had been totally uncalled for, as it was obvious that the man must've been a rookie in the criminal underworld. There was no other explanation as to why a simple precaution method would throw him through such a loop. That poor bastard.

As Danny worked, bat-a-rangs silently slipped into Batman's hands. Moving silently, the Caped Crusader from Gotham City sauntered over to where the stereo rested, once again blasting the obnoxious music Danny seemed to prefer. He unplugged it, cutting off all the noise, and asked, "So whatcha playing? I'm guessing it's some computer game, right?"

The teen became dead in his tracks. He didn't dare move an inch, for fear of it setting off the intruder behind him. However, he couldn't stay that way forever, and Danny slowly began turning around, holding his hands in the air in obvious surrender. As he came to face the Caped Crusader, his blue eyes- one covered with a translucent, green hologram; so that wasn't a computer generated disguise, it seemed -went wide for a moment before he calmed himself quickly, smiling nervously, despite the obvious danger Batman posed. With a casual tone, Danny stated, "Yeah, that's exactly what this is. I designed it myself. You like?"

Well, that was a confession if there ever was one. At least Batman had a complete confirmation that the Dark-Net was entirely his idea. Unfortunately, the situation remained solemn, as Batman was the slightest bit upset that this was what the teen was doing with his life. If this truly was Danny's masterpiece, then it was obvious he had skill, and a lot of it at that. The good things he could have done with this type of technology were practically infinite.

"Yes. It's, in a word, extraordinary." Batman replied emotionlessly, though a disgusted sneer had overtaken his features. It was sickening to use those words on such a harmful object, but that's what it was. Truly extraordinary, the Dark-Net was.

It wasn't hard to catch onto Batman's obvious distaste for the Dark-Net program, but it only elicited a dark amusement from Danny, a wide smile spreading across his lips.

Cutting straight to the chase, the Dark Knight nodded towards the hologram screen behind the boy and asked, "So what's so interesting about a small town in a desert? You got an ex you simply can't let go?"

Danny barked a loud laugh that sounded positively devious. The boy shook his head, tossing his black bangs around, and calmed himself down. Danny looked back at the Dark Knight, a spark twinkling in his eyes as he answered, "That's a cute thought, but unfortunately, it's incorrect. A+ for creativity, though. But no, I'm working a job. Yes, it's a big shocker, I know. Phantom?" Danny asked sarcastically, a fake look of shock on his face as he held a hand to his heart. "Working a job? How could I stoop so low?" The look dropped faster than a penny from the top of the Eiffel Tower. "Well, I'm in need of cash, and you know how it is in this big, dog-eat-dog world. It's all unfortunate but necessary, you see."

_Damn_, the kid sure was a talker. Batman shook his head the slightest bit at the teen, causing his grin to grow wider. The two locked in a staring contest, and as usual, it was Batman that won a few minutes later. However, it was for a different reason than most.

_BUZZ BUZZ. BEEP BEEP._

'**Incoming Call**.'

Danny groaned irritably, irked by the sudden call. He shot a glare at the lone hologram hovering about the tables before looking back at the Dark-Net. Impatiently, he made a shooing gesture, saying, "You might wanna take a couple steps back real quick. Sorry about that, but my associates call at the most inconvenient times. I'm going to have to fix that sometime."

Hiding his ire for the teen's unrelenting casualness with him, Batman quirked an eyebrow. In an unusual snarky fashion mostly due to the irritating presence just few away, Batman asked, "What? Are you afraid to be seen with me in front of your friends?"

The teen held up one finger. "First off, I'm too fabulous for these brain donors. They're undeserving of my friendship. Second, if anyone's reputation is getting ruined, it's definitely going to be yours, buddy boy." Danny's bright smile was back. "See, I'm that kid that your mother warns you about. There is no helping me, and everyone on this program knows that! You, my friend, are a completely different subject, however. Can you imagine the sheer amount of conspiracies that would pop up about you and your villainy ways if you were to be seen with me?"

Ok…while the boy did have an ego the size of the Grand Canyon, he did make a point, one Batman could not ignore. Danny had cemented his place amongst the villains; it would be highly doubtful that a simple sighting of the Dark Knight would immediately make them wary of the teen. With this in mind, Batman stepped away from the camera's view, not bothering to hide the angry sneer on his face.

Danny waved cheekily before turning back to the computer, accepting the call without hesitation. Batman watched as another man- this one much more built than the other, a cigarette in his mouth, and an AK-47 strapped to his back –appeared on the screen. At the same time, the window in the corner showed Danny's generated appearance, which revealed a ten-year-old this time. The tiny creature had beady red eyes, pointed ears, and a cloak that encompassed his entire figure. Even though the appearance came off as young, it was still very much intimidating.

The teen barked another irritated, "What?"

The man on the screen rolled his eye, grabbing the cigarette from his mouth. He stated, "Don't snap at me, you whiny brat."

The child on the computer mimicked its master, glaring heatedly at the older man with his fiery eyes. Steam practically seemed to rise from his form as he said in a prepubescent voice, "Look here, Solis; I'm the ringmaster of this operation. Whatever I say goes. If I were to turn this operation in a different direction, everyone would listen. _If I were to call it off completely_, everyone would listen, including you, and you would be back to square one, only with significantly less cash than before. Now, who's the whiny brat here? Me or the one telling his boss to piss off?"

The man, Solis, scowled at the mention of the boy's power, unfazed by the language the supposed preteen used. Despite the obvious murderous intentions written all across the man's face, he forced himself to mutter, "That would be _me_, Phantom."

The smirk that twisted onto the child's lips was demeaning and nerve-grating. "That's what I thought."

Solis had a biting retort on the tip of his tongue, but the man controlled himself, keeping his mouth from uttering the words. Instead, he let the situation die, refusing to allow himself to be manipulated anymore by the little bastard, and stated, "I want an update on the target's whereabouts."

"Aw yes, one James Peterson, right? I finally found him yesterday, and- lucky you! -he hasn't entered your turf yet. He'll be there in two days, so I suggest getting your lazy ass in gear to intercept him. But it's just a suggestion. I don't really care what you do because you've already paid me and r-e-f-u-n-d is a word I never learned to pronounce!" Danny answered energetically, throwing his hands in the air with his signature cheeky but devious smile.

Solis grimaced, as if in pain (which was a likely thought, considering the boy's attitude), and nodded. Without another word, the older man ended the call, all the holograms coming to life again. Danny eagerly turned around to face the Dark Knight again, nodding towards the computer, where his associate's face had been. "Sorry about that little intrusion, but rest assured, Mister Solis won't be bothering us again."

"You're helping a mercenary track down a target?" Batman questioned, feeling bile rise in his throat but pushing it down easily.

The Dark Knight knew who Solis was. The man was on the FBI's and Interpol's top ten most wanted list, though he was in one of the lower places, and on many other countries' lists as well. Solis was a fairly good assassin- not anywhere near, say, Deathstroke's level of mastery but good –with a known habit of being particularly _mean_ to his targets before he eliminated them. The fact that Danny was in contact with the man spoke levels of the teen's power, leaving Batman to wonder if the boy knew others high-up in the criminal underworld.

Danny nodded at Batman's question without much thought, as if he was unaware of the horrible fate he was leaving an innocent man to. To the boy's side, one of the holograms beeped once, catching Danny's attention. With some button pushing and scrolling, the teen pulled up an email and grinned. "Well, I guess I may have lied a little bit on the subject. See, I'm not one for spilling blood much, so I may have scammed Solis just a tad."

…_huh?_

At Batman's silence, Danny grinned, taking it for surprise (which may or may not have been true). "I have a contact sending a life-like android to Solis' turf while another one intercepts the real James Peterson. Don't worry; you won't have to do any saving innocent lives tonight."

The relief Danny had on his face struck Batman hard. Up until this point, there had been nothing to suggest that Danny wasn't anything more than a devious, narcissistic, greedy little shit that had decayed into something less than human. But here the boy was, scamming his fellow cons to help someone he didn't know, someone that couldn't repay him in any way, someone who would probably never know what Danny had done. It was selfless- not entirely, since the boy still managed to get his hands on some cash –and the teen didn't seem to think much of it, either.

This gave Batman _hope_ for this kid's salvation.

The conversation with Solis melted away from the boy's thoughts; out of sight, out of mind for now. Danny frowned, seeing his new situation for what it was now. The cheer leaked out of his body, and he asked, "So, what happens now?"

When he first came to this tiny apartment, Batman was going to take down a hardened criminal, halt the criminal underworld in its tracks for awhile. However, now that he was here and saw how different his original perception was to reality, the Dark Knight had a different idea in mind. With a smirk on his face and his weapons slipping back into his belt, Batman stated, "I have an offer."

"Oh God, this feels like the beginning of a cliché…"

"I'll let you continue working with on your program, but there will be restrictions." Batman started, ignoring the eye-roll he got. "One, no more accepting jobs. If you're really in need of money, get a job, and whatever you can't come up with, I'll help. Two, if I need to find someone quickly, you'll do everything in your power to help me. And three, you have to alert me to every _major_ scheme or job you come across so I may stop it." Danny seemed to be waiting for more, but all Batman said was, "I'm not forcing you to help me, but I'll be taking to prison if you don't want to cooperate."

Despite how easy Batman's deal was, Danny did not immediately bite at the chance to stay free. By his amused smirk, he even seemed to think the Caped Crusader's threat was funny. However, the teen didn't boast about a gadget he had or a contact he knew who could stop Batman (which was unusual, considering the teen's personality). For a few minutes, Danny refused to say anything at all, simply thinking, before he asked, "I'm sure if you really wanted to, you could run this program by yourself or find someone who can. I mean, you found my hideout, which I was sure was impossible until now. Why bother with a deal?"

The Dark Knight snorted, but it was practically inaudible, despite the eerie quiet hanging over the two's heads. "For starters, the Dark-Net is yours. There's no one else that could keep run it with the same ease you do. I don't have the time to maintain it, either, nor would I want to dump it on someone else, even though I do know people who are capable of doing so. I might as well get the person who knows it best to work for me."

They were simple words, but the slight complimentary tone in them had Danny smiling almost shyly, pleased with himself and his work (the illegal part of the system was being ignored entirely). The teen then shrugged and replied, "Yeah, fine, I'll work with ya. I'm sure we'll get along just fine, don't you think?"

As the Dark Knight began moving back towards the window to leave (no sense in leaving through the door and risk being seen by innocents), he commented, "Sure we will, just like you and Solis get along swimmingly."

"I would just like to state that that was entirely his fault. He started the bad blood when he first called me and greeted with a 'you listen to me, rat, or I'll kill you.' Needless to say, I made sure he was put back into place." Danny stated, his almost shy smile transforming into a sly grin the Dark Knight was sure he was going to have to get used to. The teen went to his stereo, unseeing to Batman's eye-roll, and turned the music back on. The Caped Crusader said nothing more as he began leaving, listening as Danny sang after him, "How do I say I'm sorry cause the word is never gonna come out, now~?"


	2. Lullaby

Ch.2: Lullaby

Spinning around and around in his new chair, Danny whistled as he waited for his call to be answered. He was trying for the fifth time, with about a dozen texts sent to each of the figures he was trying to get ahold of. Neither line of communication had been answered, but he was sure the two contacts would notice him eventually. They always did, especially since Danny was one of those people who did not allow people not to notice him. As he liked to claim to others, it was 'part of his charm.'

The room Danny had long since taken over was abnormally quiet, the radio turned off as the call continued to ring. Three of the four holograms were off, and the remaining screen stated, '**Calling: Black Thorn and Drone**.' Despite the two names being rather ominous, Danny seemed the slightest bit excited to have the opportunity to have an audience with the two, if the constant spinning was anything to go by.

Finally (_finally_), a window popped up on the screen, as well as a box where Danny could see himself. However, unlike the many others he talked to frequently, there was no disguise to cover his identity. The image was perfectly Danny, to the messy hair right down to his signature devious smirk. The dark-skinned boy on the other end of the line peeked up from his work, a grin of his own on his lips, and asked, "What do you want, Danny?"

The black-haired teen gasped, as if hurt, and asked in a small voice, "I don't even get a _hello_?"

"Hell no, you little fool. I've know you too well. You're the scum of the earth. You deserve nothing good."

"Oh wow, thanks. Thanks for that, Tucker. And here I thought we had a connection."

"God no. Connections with you always sounds like a good idea at the time, but all you end up with is medication. Kind of like murder." The other boy- Tucker -commented, looking back down at his work and paying little attention to Danny, whose mouth dropped at the comparison. It wasn't obvious over the video-call, but Tucker grinned savagely as the tech genius began sputtering.

It was at that moment that the other call that had continued ringing was accepted, a violet-eyed female appearing on the screen. She wore a sports bra and sweat pants, a shiny sheen of sweat blanketing her skin, short black hair sticking in all directions. The girl had no time to say anything as Danny complained, "Sam, Tucker compared me to murder!"

The greeting didn't faze the girl. She simply thought about it for a moment, nodded her head, and stated, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Tucker outright laughed at the girl's response, dropping the tools in his hands to the table in front of him as he threw his head back and guffawed. Danny looked as if he had been brutally destroyed in the worst way possible, and the girl- named Sam, according to the black-haired boy -only grinned in a way that matched the two boy's. It abruptly dropped a moment later, though, when Danny shouted, "But I am so much worse than murder!"

Tucker laughed harder. Sam responded, "Good God, boy! _What is wrong with you?!_"

"I can't stand being underrated." Danny said, sniffling with the smallest tear in his eye. He almost broke character, however, when Tucker suddenly dropped from his chair and the view of the camera, making a sound that was akin to that of a sick, dying whale.

Sam, though silently amused by her friend's show, only showed disapproval on her face at both boys: one for being an egotistic asshole, and the other for encouraging the egotistic asshole. With a deadpan voice, the black-haired female said, "If I could, I would reach through the screen and strangle you."

"OOO, kinky~."

Sam screamed in frustration. Tucker, who had been attempting to surface from his sea of laughter, began sinking again, practically lost to oblivion.

Cackles rose from the amused, black-haired teen, his smirk toying with the female on the screen as Danny spun around in his new chair. For a moment, Danny kicked the air childishly before putting his feet back on the floor, suddenly calming. Leaning against his desk, Danny propped his chin on the palm of his hand before asking his two friends, "Anyway, did the wire transfer successfully go through? I forgot to check the status."

Grateful that Danny had dropped his slightly sexualized acting, Sam nodded her head, saying nothing for the moment, lest it be another shout. Tucker finally rose from his place on the ground, pulling himself up and onto his chair again. He too nodded and replied, "Yeah, it came through last night at, like, two. I was finally able to buy the parts I needed for the new android."

A confused expression twisted onto the blue-eyed boy's face. "Last night? I started that wire transfer, like, an hour ago.

Sam rolled her eyes. "It's been a day, Danny."

"Ah shit, it happened again…" The teen's head hit the desk in front of him. A long groan escaped his lips, and though it seemed as if he planned to wallow for a long while, the boy popped up a second later, looking to his amused friends with an irritated frown. "I meant to call you last night. The transfer wasn't the only thing I wanted to talk to you guys about."

Both teens on the other side of line perked, interested in whatever their friend had to talk to them about. If they were in each other's physical presence, Sam and Tucker would've looked at each other from the corners of their eyes. Tucker asked, "Do you have a new job for us already? Please tell me it's a new job. Business has been so slow lately." Sam nodded her agreement.

The irritated frown was quickly replaced with another one of Danny's smirks, though this time it was tinged with the slightest bit of remorse. "Sorry guys. That would not be the case today. Neither Black Thorn nor Drone have anyone vying for their attention, but business will pick up soon. I'll even get some more advertisements for you, spread the word you guys are accepting jobs. But no, not the point of today's conversation."

Tucker was visibly disappointed in the news while Sam pouted in an exaggerated manner. Danny ignored them both, continuing, "Last night, I got a visitor."

It was a simple statement, but concerned reactions were immediate from the two teens. After all, Danny just didn't _get_ visitors, unless they were the two of them. Even that was few and far between, though, despite the trio's close bond. Neither of them had time for it normally, between jobs and what little social lives they possessed. Hell, a face-to-face meeting with a client of some kind really wouldn't even be strange if it was a new way to start jobs through the Dark-Net, but Danny was bringing it up to his friends, which meant there was some kind of trouble already attached to it. So there lied the question: what the fuck did Danny do?

"Who was the visitor?" Sam asked curiously.

The guilty smirk seemed to grow deeper on Danny's face. In fact, everything about the boy, from his suddenly slumped shoulders to his tired eyelids, said he was exhausted. Whoever had stolen into Danny's apartment had obviously caused a lot of grief, and the boy finally revealed the identity of his mysterious guest. "Guys, Batman's finally onto me."

Tucker dropped his tools again, immediately reaching up to rub his face as he mumbled, "_Shit_…" Sam's mouth dropped open, her ebony hair sticking to her forehead as she stared at her friend in disbelief. She wildly asked, "_How?! _The Dark-Net is literally the best kept secret in the criminal underworld! How the fuck did he find out about it? Does he even have the time to do shit like this?!"

"Apparently, he does." Danny replied seriously. Reaching up with one hand, the boy rubbed his temple, trying to ease the ache slowly forming. "I'm not sure how he found out, and I sure as hell don't know how he found my apartment. I plan on running full diagnostics on my system later. I just had to let you guys know, though. While he doesn't have an extended knowledge of how to work the program, Batman will probably start figuring out how to do it soon. Watch your backs. I don't want you guys getting caught because I'm sure I'll be the one busting you out of jail."

"Speaking of jail, _how the hell are you not sitting in a prison cell right now?_ Doesn't Batman put people like you in a body cast and send them off to the nearest prison infirmary?" Tucker questioned, looking rather stunned at the fact he was still capable of talking to his friend.

If possible, the remorseful and devious grin seemed to get even more ruthful. "Oh, see, here's the kicker. I'm not currently rotting away because Gotham's Caped Crusader decided that I was better as an asset than I was an enemy. So after being bribed with the price of freedom, I agreed to three things: no more illegal jobs, I have to help him find other scumbags when he needs it, and I am obligated to alert him to every major scheme I stumble upon. It's all really simple; I would like to think the Bat is being straight with me, but I honestly can't say if I'm going to be overrun with goody-two-shoes or not sometime soon. Just keep your eyes peeled for me; I need some trustworthy people right now."

"Consider it done." Tucker said seriously, Sam nodding along with him. The dark-skinned male added, "Is there anything else we can do?"

Danny shook his head, rocking his chair slowly back and forth. "Nah. That's it. I can take care of everything else. Thanks anyway, though. I'll keep you all posted."

"Good." Sam stated, looking pleased by the simple promise of knowledge in the future. With that conversation taken care of, the girl saluted her male friends and said, "Alright boys, the rest of my training calls to me. Black Thorn out."

The girl disappeared from the screen, and Tucker also said his goodbyes, logging off from the call. As soon as the two were gone, the three sleeping holograms awoke at once, running their individual programs as if they had never been off. The stereo turned back on just as quickly, blasting loud music music throughout the apartment. Danny released a quick sigh, brushing his hand through his hair, and then dove right back into his work, pushing his current predicament to the side to deal with later. As far as he was aware for the time, the agreement between him and the Bat didn't exist. He was simply Danny Fenton playing the notorious Phantom, the Dark-Net's creator. His specialty? Stalking and screwing people of their money, lives, and oftentimes, their dignity.

As if reading his mind, the stereo sang, _This won't stop till I say so~ This won't stop till I say so~. This won't stop till I say so~. Going and going and going and going and go~._

Just as he said he would, Danny spread the news of his friends' businesses all across the Dark-Net. He had decided to do it relatively soon after their video chat; otherwise, he might forget to do it for some time. And as he much he loved them and they loved him, there was no saving him from the rabbit hole he frequently found himself falling down whenever he got on a roll. It wasn't something he meant to do; it just happened.

_I'm only getting started~. I won't blackout~. This time I've got nothing to waste~._

Leaning back in his seat, Danny toyed with one of his work-in-progress projects. It was easy enough to work with, as he already had a prototype made. Now he was just working out all of the kinks he had found with the original, and it was fast going since all the plans had been worked out prior. As he did that, the teen watched one of his holograms, monitoring an IM chat being passed before between a Dark-Net user named 'Obsidian Dragon' and a thug-for-hire dubbed 'The Cobblestone Wall.' Danny thought the similar use of natural materials was simply _adorable_, and he may or may not have been routing for the two to partner up for the time 'Obsidian Dragon' wanted 'The Cobblestone Wall's' services.

_Let's go a little harder~. I'm on fire~. I won't blackout~. I'm on my way~._

It was awhile longer before anything else on the Dark-Net managed to catch Danny's attention. He almost skimmed over it too, but one of the user's names had caught his attention. The teen watched as the employer began giving specific information about a job to one Slade Wilson, otherwise known as Deathstroke. The teen's face scrunched up in interest, wondering if such a thing should be reported to the Bat. But then he decided that, nah, it wasn't too big of a deal, looking at the employer's specifics. Sure, it wasn't a good thing at all for the poor bastard being talked about, but Danny figured he could be nice and help the man out. With a sneaky grin, the teen rubbed his hands together before typing on the keyboard in front of him.

_I'm only getting started._

Danny was having a grand ole time, playing with the poor fools who had decided killing was a good thing. He cackled as Deathstroke grew irritated and angry with his employer, obviously heated by the random user that suddenly appeared. And the poor employer just couldn't seem to convince his hired help that, no, he didn't know the person claiming to be his pizza delivery man and lover. However, the teen couldn't get too much juicy details out in the open, unfortunately for him. There was a knock on the door that caught his attention. How the boy heard it over the rap playing was uncertain. Swiftly, Danny shut down his operation, allowing the holograms to fizzle from his existence. The laptops turned on, but Danny changed them all to random MMO games online. Unfinished projects were shoved to the side, and the teen ripped his ear-piece out none-too-gently, the green hologram shutting down as soon as it left his vicinity, landing roughly on the tables. After, Danny quickly rose from his chair, lowering the volume of his music down to a soft background noise as he hurried to the door. Though his heart was beating wildly in his chest at the thought of more people at his home, Danny didn't visibly show it as he threw open the door, asking, "Yeah?"

Behind the door stood Danny's next door neighbor, Loretta. She was smiling pleasantly, though she seemed to be in a hurry, bouncing in her spot and rolling on the balls of her feet. Her curly, brown hair was pulled into a halfhearted ponytail, her matching hazel eyes sparkling. The young woman twisted the end of her pink shirt in her fingers as she chirped, "Hi Danny!"

"Hey Lorrie, how's it going?" Danny asked, relaxing instantly at the sight of the wound up woman. She was harmless, and the teen would dare say that he was a little bit fond of the woman. She was tolerant of his overbearing music, and there many days where Danny acted crabby, but she was normally tolerant of that too. A very laid back woman, she was.

The woman smiled and said, "Nothing much. I just came over to ask a favor, if it's not too much of a problem for you."

Interest slightly piqued but not overly so, Danny teasingly asked, "Is it illegal?" He kind of hoped it was, though he knew the woman didn't swing that way. It was unfortunate.

Loretta only grinned at the teen's jab, shaking her head, blissfully unaware of the fact that he was borderline serious. She replied, "I don't understand why you always ask me that. My favors are never illegal, silly boy."

Again, how unfortunate.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask if you would be kind enough to watch Dakota for about an hour. See, Chuck just texted and asked if I'd meet him at the bar across the street, and I'm dying to see him. You'll get paid, and it's not a very long gig. Oh, please Danny?" Loretta asked, just about on the verge of begging. She was already pouting; no doubt, next would be the tears if the teen didn't say yes.

Danny was a little apprehensive with the offer, though. Dakota was Loretta and her fiancée's, Chuck's, baby girl. The two young adults had a weird relationship, to say the least. They had the baby about a year ago, even though the two were still far from finishing college. They were just barely making ends meet, juggling their kid, their jobs, and school, but somehow, they always managed to find a way to make sure someone was home with the kid, though it severely cut back their personal time together. The two planned on marrying soon, though Danny frequently wondered when. However, none of that was the point. The point was, Dakota was a baby. Danny didn't do well with kids unless they were evil sons of bitches. Then they got along _swimmingly_.

Loretta sensed his apprehension, though. She only smiled and said, "I put Dakota down a while ago. She'll probably be asleep the entire time you're there."

Ah damn it. Now he really had no reason not to say yes, and with the woman looking the slightest bit adorable with the pout on her face, Danny didn't think he wanted to. Thus, he caved rather quickly, stating he would head right over to the apartment once he grabbed his laptop.

Loretta buzzed with energy as she practically bounced in her spot. She placed her hands gently on the side of Danny's face, despite being in a rush, and the woman kissed his forehead, ignoring the way the teen flinched back and crinkled his face in unease. The woman ignored it (the kid needed to be affectionate every once in a while, she concluded), and said, "Thanks Danny! I've got a shift to get to later, but Chuck will be home soon. Bye and thank you again!" Then the woman ran off, bursting with happiness.

Danny rolled his eyes at the display and disappeared back into his apartment. Just as he said he would, the boy began unplugging one of his laptops from their spots on the tables. He tucked the object under his arm, left his apartment, locked the door behind him, and quickly walked to the door just down the hall. Danny slipped inside the apartment, noticing how dark it was, and closed the door behind him, locking it. Slightly concerned about the baby awaking while he was there, Danny peeked into the nursery, noticing the sailboat nightlight lighting the room immediately. The crib where the baby lay was silent.

Silently, Danny stole into the room, tiptoeing to where baby Dakota lay. The teen peeked over the top rung of the crib, staring down at the sprawled out figure at the bottom, a stuffed toy in one corner and a light blanket laying on top of the child. Dakota was peacefully slumbering, unaware of the potentially dangerous figure watching her curiously. However, Danny was not in the room to harm, and he only tiled his head curiously, whispering, "Hi Dakota. You remember me? I watched you a couple weeks ago when your parents went shopping." Or, at least, Danny thought that was some weeks ago. It could've been a lot longer than that, but there was no way to find out, nor did Danny really care when the last time he had babysat was. He was simply fortunate the baby had been willing to sleep practically every time he had been around to watch her.

Before the baby could wake up from his lingering presence, Danny moved away and found a seat in the rocking chair set a few feet from the crib. He made himself cozy as he opened his laptop, casting a greater light throughout the room as it awakened at his mouse scribbling. Without hesitation, Danny logged into his computer and easily began working where he left off.

The teen went back to his usual stalking, monitoring users IMs and video-calls. Off to the side, Danny also ran a diagnostic on his system, as he had told his friends he would do. He was dying to know how the Dark Knight had found him. Maybe if he could find a way to fix the problem, he could move somewhere new, get out of Las Vegas, despite how much he liked living in the city. All he wanted was to get out of the Bat's sights. It had only been a day, and the teen had had to turn down an offer for a well-paying job. It would've been a fun one too, but Danny was taking no chances with the Caped Crusader right now. He was still in the hot seat, and while jail would've been easy to escape from, there was no reason to bring himself unneeded attention. He had enough of that on the Dark-Net, which the boy soaked up like a dry sponge. Nothing pleased Danny more than the myth and fame he surrounded himself with by using his infamous program.

Danny was completely absorbed with his multitasking, but he still noticed the deadly quiet settled firmly over the nursery. The teen was used to working in constant chaos, after all, and the absence of white noise was more distracting than the most obnoxious of tunes. It completely screwed up Danny's focus and frustrated him. However, one couldn't exactly play heavy metal in a sleeping baby's room, now could they? (Well, they could, but the consequences would be quite severe, Danny imagined.) Luckily, though, there was a music box sitting on a table off to the side, and Danny supposed that it would have to do.

Getting up, Danny gently laid his laptop in his seat before moving over to the place where the music box lay. He quickly figured out where the knob was on the box, and the teen turned it quickly, twisting it again and again until he thought it might break. As soon as he let the knob go to set the music box down, a soft melody began chiming from inside. Curiously, Danny opened the box, watching as two swans popped up from inside, swimming in a circle, one following after the other slowly.

The scene hardly interested the teen, and he quickly went back to his computer, only allowing himself to be distracted whenever the box stopped playing for more than five minutes. However, it did not take long for Danny to get back to his computer, where he began typing erratically, completely forgetting the tiny form still sleeping in her crib.

However, things did not remain calm for so long. As Danny was in the middle of looking through the results of his diagnostics, another window popped up noiselessly, stating, '**Incoming Call**.' The fact it did not have a name to go with the number it was being called from had Danny sighing. He did not think he had the patience to deal with people right now.

Unfortunately for him, things got worse.

As soon as the box popped up, Danny kind of wished he hadn't pressed accept. After all, there was Batman, staring at him emotionlessly. Danny face-palmed at the imposing presence, unable to stop himself from hissing, "_What the hell do you want?_" As he did, he quickly entered Batman's info into his contacts and turned off the disguise generator in his settings, allowing the vision of a Grim Reaper-like figure to fade, replacing it with his irritated expression.

The harsh greeting meant little to the Dark Knight. He merely replied, "It's nice to talk to you too, Danny. I need you to track a guy down for me. Do you think you're capable of doing that?"

Danny glared at the hero, feeling tendrils of offense curling in his stomach. 'Do you think you're capable of doing that?' It was an obvious jab at him just to piss him off, but the phraseology was just so blunt and straightforward, the teen thought for a moment that Batman had little trust in his abilities. It took a moment to realize the mean tease, and Danny flipped the older man off, his dark sneer only amusing the Dark Knight, though the man never showed it. "Hell yeah I can. Who's the guy?"

"Two-Face. He broke out of Gotham three and a half hours ago and has since fled into the city." Batman stated, watching the teen intensely. Truthfully, Batman had leads as to the man's whereabouts, many of which were viable. Nightwing and his third Robin were already in the field, checking them out. However, he wanted to test Danny, see how well he could trust him and his abilities. The teen didn't need to know about the test, though. "How will something like that take you?"

Smirking, Danny began pecking away at his computer keys. Batman raised his eyebrows the slightest bit, watching the boy's face curiously. As the teen searched through something on another tab, Danny said, "Not long. A few minutes at most. Lucky for you, Two-Face is a pretty active user on the Dark-Net, and he makes that a well-known fact. Since he's already been out of his padded cell for a few hours, he's probably found a computer and logged on, looking for new bastards to hire. Give me a minute." Danny rifted through Gotham's impressive user list, most of which were thugs looking for jobs. He sifted through the currently inactive ones, and after combing through some IM threads, he tracked down a number of men in contact with Two-Face. While Danny worked some copy and pasting action, he stated, "Two-Face has already hired about six men, all of which have a different address to report to within the next half-hour. I'm sure you'll be able to do something with that information. I'm sending you names and addresses now."

He would never admit it, but Batman was quite impressed with the teen's quick work. The Dark Knight opened his mouth to, at least, give a thank you, but Danny's attention was captured by something off-screen, a look of 'oh shit' passing over his face. Batman asked, "What's the matter?"

Inside the crib, Dakota began stirring, and Danny began blanching. Now was not the time for the baby to wake up, but the quiet, harsh whispers the teen continued uttering pierced the silence like a sharp sword through flesh. The music box would've been a good distraction, but it wasn't playing anymore. When had it stopped playing?

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…" Danny started muttering, rubbing his face as he shifted in the rocking chair.

The Dark Knight asked, "Is there something wrong?" It was then, in the middle of sentence, that Batman began noticing where Danny was. The sheer darkness of the room had masked the fact that the teen wasn't in his apartment but in a room where painted birds flew across the walls. It reminded Batman of a child, and he asked with an astonished voice, "Are you _babysitting_?"

"Shut up! You told me to get a job!" Danny snapped, not even bothering to lower his voice this time. His mean tone had the infant crying, and Danny cursed again, pointing at the Dark Knight accusingly. "This is your fault!" With that, the teen pressed the disconnect button, stood up, and laid the laptop on the rocking chair. Danny scurried over to where the music box was and wound it up quickly. Then the boy quickly went to the crib, scooping the crying baby up from her spot. Without much direction, Danny started shushing her, rocking the child a little erratically. The frantic movements, as predicted by anyone with common sense, did not ease the child's crying, which made Danny all the more anxious as he mumbled, "Come on, come on, come on, stop crying…"

It was a long time before there was any progress made in calming the baby girl. Danny's rocking was too quick, too startling for Dakota to calm down, but the boy didn't realize this. He paced the room, trying to qualm the infant's crying, but all he seemed to do was make it worse.

It had been awhile since Danny last slept (though it was indeterminable when that actually was, since Danny didn't actually keep track of the days, though he should've), and this whole Batman and babysitting business was not helping the tiredness that he had been ignoring for some time, too focused on other things to care. Luckily, this exhaustion actually proved to help Danny. His movements started to slow as the heaviness in his eyelids weighed him down, and his pacing smoothed out. The gentle ride was enough for baby Dakota to stop feeling so overwhelmed, and her wailing began to slowly lower in volume before finally dying off. The relief Danny felt was unimaginable.

With the obstacle overcome, Danny gleefully set the baby back in her crib. Quickly as he could, he wound up the music box again, setting it to play for as long as it could. After grabbing his laptop and setting it off to the side, Danny fell into the rocking chair he had occupied before, a deep sigh escaping his lips as he slumped, feeling the most drained he had in years. He leaned back in the comfy chair, promising himself rest for just a few minutes, but it was barely even that before he fell into his own peaceful slumbering, the lullaby playing rhythmically in the background.

The baby and the teen slept peacefully for some time, undisturbed. However, the doorknob to the entrance at the front of the apartment began jingling. It was too quiet for Danny to hear in the next room, and within moments, the door opened, allowing a tall man with light-colored hair to enter the room, looking exhausted but content.

The door was quickly closed, and none of the lights were turned on. Whatever Chuck carried was dumped on the couch unceremoniously. With shuffled steps, Chuck walked to his daughter's room, looking inside as he whispered, "Hey Danny, I'm-" The sight of the sleeping teen gave the man pause, however. For a moment, Chuck debated whether or not to wake the boy and eventually cracked a small smile, walking to the couch to grab a blanket. He then walked back to the nursery, wandering inside and covering the teen with the blanket. Danny shifted at that but did not awaken. Chuck whispered, "Good night, Danny."

The boy hummed something in his sleep, shifting to find a more comfortable position. Chuck only grinned, wandered over to where his daughter to check on her, and then left the room, leaving both children to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night.

* * *

**Song credit goes to Blackout by Breathe Carolina.**


	3. Twenty Questions

Ch.3: Twenty Questions

Just as it had been the first time, Batman found no resistance when he went to open the window. Danny didn't even lock the damn thing; it was constantly open, like a constant beg for outsiders of all kinds to enter. Honestly, with how intelligent the teen was, the Dark Knight could not fathom why he would do something so stupid as to keep his window constantly unlocked. Sure, Las Vegas was no Gotham City (really, no city in America equaled to Gotham City with its miserably high crime levels, except for maybe Blϋdhaven), but locking one of the only entrances into the apartment should have been common sense. The only upside was that the fire-escape the window led out to was not exactly the safest looking. Oh, it held up fine between the few excursions Batman had taken to the building, but its exterior was not appealing in the least. If anything, it was rather spooky and had ways of making one question if it was safe or not to climb.

Inside, the apartment was still tiny, the only light sources remained to be the holograms, and the appalling music was still blasting full force. Batman grimaced at the state of the apartment, believing firmly that the teen within should probably find better living accommodations. Actually, no, a better life, one that was away from the criminal activities this kid indulged in daily, was a bigger priority than living spaces. Unfortunately, however… Those cards just weren't on the table right now. Maybe sometime in the future, though… Maybe someday…

While most of the apartment was exactly the same as it had been the first time he had seen it, Batman was the slightest bit surprised to see Danny's head lying on the desk, his arms in a loose circle around him. His cheek was swimming in a pool of drool steadily leaking from a small stream running down the corner of his mouth. Danny's back rose and fell steadily, soft snores emitting from teeth's mouth.

It was surreal, the image. If the Dark Knight didn't know any better, Danny could pass for any other teen boy in the world. The boy's face was oblivious and open, something that was never present when Danny was awake. He didn't look like the intimidating figure the Dark-Net had learned to look out for; Danny looked like the seventeen-year-old he was, and it certainly was a punch to the gut.

Not for the first time that night (and certainly not the last, either), Batman thought about forcibly snatching Danny from the life he was living, plant him in an Amish family that had no access to any kinds of technology. Alfred had certainly liked the idea when he had heard of the crook that had been causing Bruce so many problems over the weeks. The older man had practically ordered his son-like figure back to Las Vegas to kidnap the kid and find him a life away from what he currently had. It had been totally unlike the man, but after seeing so many kids throwing away their lives (one or two of those kids being theirs, unfortunately), Bruce couldn't really blame Alfred feeling so vehemently about the subject.

And as much as he would've liked to do as Alfred said, Batman just _couldn't_. Danny would go kicking and screaming, and taking away the temptation didn't mean the teen would change. There was no one in the world that could force something like that down someone's throat; it would never stay down. Danny had to want to change and wish for a better life. Batman could only show the way, if the teen would even allow him that. (Not that he would, with the way the Dark Knight had already come in and uprooted a crucial part of his life.)

Plus, dumping Danny on some unsuspecting family would just be cruel. The teen was dangerous and cynical, as much as Batman hated to admit it; God alone knows what would happen if Danny were to be forced into that situation. (Killing was off limits, sure, but that didn't mean everything else was as well.)

Whimsically, Batman thought of Danny living a moral life. Instead of cold, meticulous, and full of himself, the Dark Knight imagined the teen being light, clumsy and oblivious, and shy, with some nervous tick that made everyone smile whenever he fell back on it to ease his anxiety and embarrassment. Batman imagined Danny with friends and a family, and everything a young teen should have. It was unfortunate the fantasy was not reality, however, and it was even more unfortunate that Batman wasn't in the apartment to offer him any of that.

Nope. He was here, more or less, to ask for Danny to do some more illegal shit. _Joy_.

Reaching out, Batman placed a gentle hand on the teen's back, trying not to startle him too much. Fortunately, Danny was in a dead sleep, and while the Dark Knight wished his touch had at least roused the boy some, Danny was completely unaware of the imposing presence standing next to him. Thus, Batman tried to softly call the boy's name, again trying to rouse the teen from his sleep. "Danny… Hey Danny…"

The boy in question stirred for a moment, but otherwise, he remained completely unconscious.

Sighing in exasperation, Batman shook a little harder, spoke a little louder. Speaking with a stern voice, the Dark Knight called, "Danny. Wake up."

The more hardcore approach startled Danny awake. He bolted up, still a little bit slouched over, though, and looked about with unfocused eyes. It was almost comical, the falter in the teen's breathing and the complete unawareness on Danny's face as he mumbled, "Wha-? Who is it? It wasn't me; I swear. I was framed."

For the smallest moment, Batman allowed a small smile to slip onto his face, but it was gone a second later, his self-control reigning it in. An emotionless, firm expression replaced it, working its way back into its place easily. The cowl hid the Dark Knight's slight eyebrow quirk as he asked the teen, "And what didn't you do exactly?"

It took a few moments for Danny to regain his wits. He rubbed his face, picking the sand from the corners of his eyes as he yawned. He sat up in his chair, looking around, unseeing but slowly coming into focus. The teen wiped the drool from his mouth with obvious disgust, which only grew when he saw the puddle on his desk. Grumpily and droopy eyed, Danny looked up at the Dark Knight staring down at him and moaned, "_What?_"

"You said you didn't do it. What didn't you do?" Batman asked, trying to convey innocence. However, his void, baritone voice couldn't muster the emotion it needed to pull off such a ploy. Instead, the sound came out sounding emotionless, which was typical of the man.

Danny only stared at his supervisor for a time, obviously still too out of it to come up with an adequate lie for the moment. Instead, he mumbled a swear, turned away from the Dark Knight, and began wiping the drool from his workspace, grimacing and shuddering at the sheer amount now coating the sleeve of his jacket. The teen croaked, "None of your damn business. Now, I'm assuming you crawled through my window like the cockroach you are and woke me up for something really juicy. Otherwise, you would've just called. What the hell would that juicy thing be?"

OOO, someone was grouchy. Batman ignored it, though, despite the lingering image of the innocent Danny he had created just a few minutes earlier tearing at the forefront of his mind. Instead, he simply said, "I have a job for you, and I was in the neighborhood." Only half of that statement was true.

The teen continued to look up at his supervisor with a scowl, though some interest had slipped in with all the bad temper. He tilted his head to the side in an obvious gesture of, 'And that job would be _what_ exactly?' Batman decided to be straightforward, even though he would've loved to torture the boy and avoid the silent question. He stated, "I need you to find a basic street thug for me. He's got some information I could use. His name is Rusty Ruiz, and he used to work for the Penguin. Think finding him is doable with that much info, or will you need more?"

A sigh fell from the teen's mouth as he turned himself fully to his holograms. He pulled the chair- that was new; why hadn't the Dark Knight noticed that earlier? -closer to the desk and began tapping away at the keyboard. Sounding bored, Danny replied, "Of _course_ I _can_, dumbass. I'm a fucking genius. Your doubtfulness in my abilities is growing quite offensive. However, this is undoubtedly going to take a while. You're asking for a loser nobody in a sea of loser nobodies- Gotham tends to collect loser nobodies, you see, you included. I hope your oh-so-busy schedule can allow you to keep me company while I sift through dozens upon dozens of names~." The tone in Danny's last sentence was mocking and pouty, and though Batman was behind the boy, he could see the sarcastic, pleading expression in his head as clearly as he could recall the image of the blue sky.

Thus, it gave Batman great pleasure to say, "Don't worry. I've cleared my schedule _just_ for this."

Danny moaned.

Besides the stereo playing some upbeat song that had Danny bobbing side to side in his seat, there was silence. Batman watched the young teen work, his eyes far away as he typed erratically on the keyboard. There were dozens upon dozens of names on the screen, and there were plenty that were disappearing quickly as Danny typed commands into a box in the corner. Within minutes, the teen was speed-reading through names faster than people who had taken a class for speed-reading.

Batman shifted his weight to one leg, though it was an unnoticeable act. There was only the briefest sway of his cape to suggest he moved at all. Curiously, the Dark Knight asked, "So where did you learn to program like this? Did you have a mentor, or are you just naturally talented with computers?"

There was a pause in the teen's work as he took a minute to shoot the Dark Knight an inquisitive look, but Danny was right back at it again a moment later. Scrolling quickly, the teen replied, "Well, I've always been good with tech, but I did have some mentors-" Lie. He had _a lot_. "-to help me reach my _full potential_. I think you're familiar with one of them. He goes by Calculator, and I kind of stole the Dark-Net idea from him." Danny smiled deviously at that moment. "And people say knock-offs can't be good."

Batman already knew about Calculator. With how similar Danny's program was to the man's, he had decided to give Calculator a visit in prison just a few days prior. There, Batman had flashed a picture of Danny to the crook in a silent question of, 'Do you know who this is?' Calculator's eyes had widened, and the Dark Knight had asked some simple questions about the teen's criminal career. Calculator wouldn't tell him much other than the fact he had mentored the teen, and he asked what the Dark Knight planned to do with him. When Batman replied, Calculator shook his head, looked to the floor, and stated, "You should just get out now. There's no helping that kid."

The Dark Knight had replied, "He's young and impressionable. I'm sure there's some way to deter him from continuing this life."

Calculator only shook his head and said, "When this plan of yours blows back in your face, just remember that I told you so."

While the job had been one factor, the brief visit with Calculator was the big thing that drove Batman to fly back to Las Vegas. Calculator- Noah Kuttler, really –had been intimidated or put-off by something inside the kid, maybe both. Kuttler had no terror- there was nothing to be terrified of –but he certainly believed there was no hope for Danny. Batman didn't think this was necessarily true, but he had only met the teen once before in person and once over a video-chat. That really wasn't enough time to judge a person's mental and moral state, so the Bat had decided to see what he could dig up about the kid from Danny himself, which led Batman to flying for hours for a simple visit.

Back in the present, Danny yelled an 'a-ha!' before clicking on one of the many names under the Gothamite category. Batman found himself unimpressed, asking, "Why are you looking at 'Macho Cruz?'"

Danny cackled, obviously pleased with himself at exasperating the Dark Knight. He pushed himself up, kicking his chair to the kitchen a few feet behind them. The teen pressed the call button next to the henchman's name, and the stereo and other three holograms shut off, as per usual. Walking past Batman, Danny followed his chair, saying over his shoulder, "Ah, don't feel too underwhelmed. Most henchmen are unoriginal with their names. It's part of their charm."

Batman raised an eyebrow at the sentence as Danny opened his fridge, grabbed a to-go box from Ruby Tuesday's, and then promptly through it in the microwave. He punched in a few numbers before pressing 'enter,' allowing the food to cook. The teen was back in front of his desks a moment later, casting a smirk in Batman's direction. "Alright, the bitch we're calling should pick up any minute. The disguise generator will do its thing, but no speaking. That's my job."

The teen received no answer from the Dark Knight, but he took it as an agreement. Danny, smirk still in place, nodded his head triumphantly, turning back to the hologram in front of him.

Just as the teen predicted, the call was accepted just moments later. There was a man with blonde, greasy hair sipping coffee, and he set the cup down a moment later. He started saying, "Who is-" before his droopy eyes met the figure on the screen. Then he screamed, jumped back from his computer, and pointed at it as if he were Nick Cage in the first Ghost Rider movie. This reaction, of course, only fueled Danny's growing amusement with people.

Batman raised an eyebrow at the interesting image the disguise generator had conjured this time. Danny was nothing more than a gleaming, white skeleton wrapped in a black robe, a hood covering the top of his head. The front of the robe had a slit across the rib-cage, allowing 'Macho Cruz' the lovely sight of a realistic heart beating and bleeding inside the boy's rib-cage. Red on black eyes pierced the man he was looking at.

Behind him, the Dark Knight was disguised as a plain skeleton with the same, matching eyes who looked significantly _dumber_ than Danny's disguise, which was the slightest bit offensive, if the Dark Knight said so himself. (But that may have been what Danny was going for when he made the stupid generator in the first place.)

"Who the hell are you?!" The man, Macho Cruz, screamed. He was still leaning away from the computer, more than likely expecting the freaky figure to reach through the screen and take his soul.

Danny snorted under his breath, his lips turning into a sly grin. Batman rolled his eyes as the teen answered, "The name's Grimm, you pussy. Now stop gaping at the screen like that. I know my minions aren't the best looking people around, but they deserve your respect." Cue the sigh from Batman. Danny barely repressed his laughter as Macho Cruz sputtered. The teen waved a bony hand around as he continued, "Now, I am not here so you can depress Jared even more."

Batman guessed he was Jared now…

"What the hell could you want from _me_?" Macho Cruz practically yelled.

"Just some information. Do you happen to know another man by the name of Rusty Ruiz?" Danny asked, tilting his head to the side, trying to convey some sort of innocence. However, neither the skeleton nor the real boy could really pull the look off. The disguise was simply incapable of physical expressions, and Danny had been lacking innocence for so long, he forgot how to fake it.

Macho Cruz seemed to calm down for the moment, though he refused to get any closer to his computer. He scratched the top of his head and hummed, thinking. Finally, he answered, "Uh, no, I've never heard of him. I know a guy, though. He's worked for almost every gang in Gotham and knows everyone… Wait, this guy you're looking for, he is in Gotham, right?"

There was amusement on Danny's face, but he made a show of sighing in exasperation. "Of _course_ he's in Gotham. Why _else_ would I degrade myself and call _you_?"

The greasy-haired man actually blushed. _He blushed_, damn it! Macho Cruz adverted his eyes from the screen, totally missing the way Danny bent over for a second to hide his overflowing mirth, and he looked back just as the teen was finally getting a hold on himself. Behind the teen, Batman was shaking his head as he sighed inaudibly.

Fearing more embarrassment from the teen, Macho Cruz wisely shut his mouth, so nothing he said could blow back in his face. Danny crossed his arms over his chest, blew his long hair from his eyes, and smiled at the older man's expanse. "Are you going to tell me the name of this friend of yours or not? Please say no. It'd be so fun to keep _teasing_ you."

That snapped Macho Cruz from his stupor, and he quickly gave Danny the name of the man he had spoken of. Danny pouted at that, and though it seemed he might not be so kind, the boy dismissed Macho Cruz as soon as he received the new information. Batman felt the need to sigh for the umpteenth time in the past hour- Ricky, the guy Danny was going to call next, went by the nickname 'Fun Cash' on the Dark-Net –and ignored the way Danny shot a pleased smirk to him over his shoulder. Without another word, the teen turned back to his computer, typing in the name into a command box.

It didn't take long for Danny to track the new guy down, but then Danny also had a very quick system that sorted through names as fast as the computer systems Batman designed. During the few minutes of searching, Batman poked the teen with simple, otherwise mindless questions. For the Dark Knight, however, he was trying to get a better idea of Danny's past and see if he could find the thing that had Calculator was so put-off by.

Unfortunately, though, the questions didn't really get Batman anywhere. The answers Danny gave out were a little vague, but the Caped Crusader was alerted to the fact that the boy still had no job ("If you have no job, how are you paying your rent?" – "No way in particular…"), no hobbies ("The Dark-Net is not a hobby." – "Yeah, well, neither is creating new gadgets for warring crime, so you can kiss my ass."), few friends ("My friends and I-" – "You have those?" – "Oh, _shut up_, Mr. Antisocial!"), and a very mischievous side ("-and there was one time we set all the alarm clocks in the store on five intervals-"). So, while there was nothing new, it did give Batman a deeper look into the boy's personality. In those few minutes, the Dark Knight understood less and less why Noah Kuttler believed Danny was a lost cause.

A stubborn ass? Totally. But completely lost to reason? Not a chance.

The computer screen flashed as another man appeared on the screen. This time, the man had (clean) dark hair and dressed like he had to be somewhere where decent clothes were required. His reaction, upon seeing the figure on the screen, was much the same as Macho Cruz's was. He screamed, he jumped back, but unlike the poor bastard before him, he began praying the Lord's Prayer, as if it would somehow thwart the figure that looked oddly like the Egyptian god, Anubis. Behind the jackal-headed figure, there was a silhouette that looked about the same, except for the primitive look on its face.

Danny sighed at the reaction, rubbed his face for a moment, and mumbled something about toning down his disguises 'because this was getting ridiculous.' Batman guessed this reaction happened a lot when he wasn't present; after all, Danny seemed like one to milk his amusement as much as humanly possible.

"Ok, I don't know why everyone freaks out when I call." Danny started, even though he knew exactly why everyone did so. He followed his first statement up with, "My presence is a gift. Every last one of you sons of bitches should kiss my ass when I come calling."

This did not break Fun Cash- or Ricky –from his wild stupor, though he did open of his closed eyes. Danny just continued to glare at him before he just jumped to the case, questioning, "Do you know another lowlife named Rusty Ruiz?"

Ricky stopped when he heard the name, and he simply stared into his camera as he thought of the face that matched the name he knew. He hummed as he did so before finally saying, "Yeah, I know him. That son of a bitch sucker-punched me in a bar once. I haven't gotten him back for that yet…"

Danny waved his hand around in an impatient gesture. "Do you know where Rusty is living these days?"

"Last I heard, he was hiding out in the Thunderbird Motel. I don't know his room number or anything, but I'm sure he's living there until the people he owes money to finds him." Ricky replied, shrugging in a 'whatcha gonna do?' sort of way.

The teen glanced at the Dark Knight over his shoulder, silently asking if that was enough for him or if he should keep prodding. Batman merely shook his head and said lowly, "That's all I need. I can find his apartment on my own."

Danny gave a slight nod before turning back to the video-chat. "That's all I need from you. I would thank you for your services but, well, Ricky, you're just not worth it."

"Wait- you know _my name_?!"

Danny smirked. "But, of course, _Ricky_! I also know where you live. I suggest getting a nightlight, which I'm sure your local convenience store will have a wonderful selection of. Now, I hope I never have to lower myself to speak to you again until I come to claim your soul in the middle of the night. Goodbye~!"

The teen cut the call and turned around, grinning at his supervisor with obvious triumph. He pointed at himself and asked, "So who earned the title 'awesome' today. Come on, say the name. Say it~!"

"Ricky? Oh, it was so amazing how he didn't wet himself."

"Ok Bats, how bout you just go fuck yourself?"


	4. Paranormal

Ch.4: Paranormal

If anyone had been in the apartment, they would not have immediately seen Danny. At first, only the stereo lights would've been visible from its spot on the table, blue bars rising and falling with the beat. If there had been light, though, they would've seen the teen tucked away under one of the foldable tables, but even then, Danny would've been tricky to spot. A grey blanket was wrapped loosely around his form, rising and falling gently, perfectly in time with Danny's breathing. The teen's back was to the rest of the apartment, and his head was half-buried in his pillow. Only his mop of black hair was visible to the rest of the apartment.

In his dreams, Danny was running from law enforcement agents dressed in white. He didn't know who they were, who they worked for, or why they were chasing him to begin with. They simply chased, and Danny fled. The teen was going as fast as he could as he raced in circles, but his motions were slow and haggard. The agents were constantly on his tail, gaining bit by bit as Danny covered territory he had already covered a dozen times before. They were right behind him, and there was nothing the teen could do about it. There was nowhere to escape to, and no matter how many times he might've thought it, Danny never strayed from the path he had paved for himself. The boy was so caught up with the chase that, at first, he didn't hear his computer ringing for him.

_BR-RING, BR-RING. BR-RING, BR-RING._

Danny continued to run, pushing himself to go faster but only seemingly going slower. He passed his friends on the street, Batman chatting it up with Lorrie, and Dakota crossing the street. None of the figures looked his way, his quick but slow footfalls falling on deaf ears. The agents yelled something, but Danny didn't understand what they said.

_BR-RING, BR-RING. BR-RING, BR-RING._

The teen looked around for the sound, but there was nothing around that could make the sound. It didn't matter, though. The world was falling away, the sky was turning dark, and the agents were fading away behind him. Still, Danny ran, unconcerned that the world was ending. As long as he was running, the agents couldn't catch him, and for Danny, that was all that mattered. Not even the floor falling away was a concern.

_BR-RING, BR-RING. BR-RING, BR-RING._

The boy opened his eyes, blue eyes fuzzy in the dim light. He groaned when he heard his computer ringing again and muttered, "This better be good." Danny pushed himself up. _BAM!_ His head hit the desk above him, and the teen yelled in pain, "FUCK!" Muttering other swears, the teen pulled himself out from under the table. Danny grabbed his chair, crawling onto it and squinting as the light from the lone hologram hit his sensitive eyes. Rubbing his head and glaring, Danny pressed enter and repeated, "_This better be good_."

Unfazed, Batman quirked an eyebrow, a detail that was hidden by his cowl. "Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine today?"

Danny's eye twitched. Add to the fact he had dark bruises under his blue orbs, he looked rather psychotic in the harsh but dim lighting. He uttered a long sigh, which did not help matters, and then replied to the Dark Knight, "It is _too late_ for this shit."

"It's eight at night."

"I never said my sleeping schedule was the greatest, so _fuck you_." Danny snapped, reaching up to rub the gunk and sand from the corners of his eyes. By doing so, he missed the slight upturn of the Dark Knight's lips as he smirked in amusement. It was gone in the next moment, but Danny had taken to rubbing his pounding temples, eyes closed. "Ok, random question: with all the villains you've faced over the years, how are you not dead yet? I feel like you should be dead and not bothering me."

Even with his emotionlessly dead voice, Batman still managed to convey amusement as he replied, "It might have something to do with the fact that I trained for years, and I'm more intelligent than they are."

"That's not it." Danny muttered, despairing over the life of his supervisor for a brief moment. After, the teen took the matter into his hands and starting sliding from the chair, slowly falling towards the floor. As soon as he was on the ground, Danny crawled back onto his beloved mattress, pulling the pillow to him as he collapsed. Lovingly and contrite, he mumbled, "Forgive me for leaving you…"

On the screen, Batman rolled his eyes and called, "Danny, I need to talk to you about something."

"You can talk to me while I lie on my beautiful mattress!"

The Dark Knight took a moment to dedicate his time to a long sigh and an eye roll. It was only a moment, but in that moment, Danny almost fell back asleep. However, Batman didn't know nor would he have cared anyway as he said, "I need to know if you know any experts on a substance called ectoplasm."

_BAM. _The computer wobbled on top of the table for a moment before Danny screamed, "AW, FUCK IT! This is getting ridiculous! I'm moving this damn thing later!" A moment after, Danny was crawling back onto his chair, pulling it up close to the desk. While he still looked exhausted, he seemed more focused now as he asked, "Where did you manage to find ectoplasm?"

Batman looked away for a moment, typing something off-screen. A second later, a picture a menacing, black Harley Davidson popped up beside the Dark Knight's face, a lime-green 13 stamped on each side of the bike. The driver, a man with greasy blonde hair, radioactive green eyes, and a green skull pendent hanging from a silver chain around his neck, swiveled the bike in and out of traffic, a wild grin playing on his lips. Behind the man, a woman with green hair, crimson eyes, and heavy purple lipstick hugged the driver from behind, looking as thrilled as her partner. There were cars all around them, but they were blurred to focus in on the two forms.

"These two have been breaking traffic laws for the past couple of nights, causing numerous accidents. Fortunately, there have been no causalities, but I'm not sure how long that luck will hold out." Batman said. He explained, "I haven't been able to capture them because they simply ride through all of the traps the GCPD and I set. However, I managed to surprise the driver last night and nicked him with one of my blades. Instead of blood, though, all I got was ectoplasm."

Danny had hid his face when he saw the picture, but now he peeked over his hands. Joy and amusement sparked in the boy's eyes like firecrackers, and it was honestly the first time Batman had ever seen Danny truly happy. The teen gleefully said, "You'll never catch them with the way you're going. The driver, Johnny 13, is an expert motorist. He'll evade whatever you put out for him. The chick is girlfriend, Kitty. She's an adrenaline junkie." Leaning back in his seat, Danny said, "I haven't seen those two in _years_. We had so much fun back in the good ole days."

Both shocked and, well, _not_, Batman dryly asked, "You _know_ these two?"

"Yup!" Danny replied, sounding so very pleased. "A couple of years ago, I had another mentor that was a _ghost_ named Technus. Yes, ghosts are real; don't fight me on the subject. Anyway, I have no idea why I stayed with Technus as long as I did; he is literally the definition of insane. Plus, he's a technopath, so he had very little to actually teach him. However, not the point. The point is that he lived in the Ghost Zone- a dimension where ghosts live. A whole bunch of people lived near Technus, and Johnny and Kitty happened to be two of them." Danny grinned cheekily. "We became great friends."

"There's a dimension dedicated to ghosts?" Batman asked. By some miracle, Danny heard the slight concern he had.

The teen merely nodded, though, as he replied casually, "Yeah, it's where they spawn. A person dies but if they still have things to do, their consciousness latches onto ectoplasm and- BOOM! –instant ghost. (I'm exaggerating, if you couldn't tell.) They're usually pretty chill, though, and it's really hard to get out of the dimension. It's easier just to stay in the Ghost Zone if you don't have a convenient way to get in and out."

"You sure know a lot about ghosts." Batman commented, raising an eyebrow.

"When you live with them for a time, you kind of have to know this stuff." Danny shrugged in a 'whatcha-gonna-do' way. Turning back to the Dark Knight, he said, "Alright, so now that you have your very own ghost expert, I'm assuming you're gonna wanna know how to stop him, right?"

Batman replied, "That's the plan."

"Well, there's nothing that you own that would work because ectoplasm and the physical world have different wavelengths or something like that. Basically, they just don't work on the same level of existence, which I don't entirely know what that means. But luckily for you, Johnny is a lot more open to seeing reason, though he is a bit antisocial. If you found a way to get him to talk to you, it'd just take a quick conversation to get him to go home." Danny explained, propping his head on his hand as he leaned against his desk.

The Dark Knight thought about what Danny said for a minute, and then asked, "Why don't I pick you up and bring you to Gotham City? There's a very small chance that I would be able to get him to stop, but since Johnny knows you, he'd be more open to listening."

Danny shrugged and replied, "Yeah, sure, we can do that. See in a couple hours, Bats."

The teen cut the connection abruptly, leaving Batman startled on the other end for a moment. Danny never would've cared, though. His blue orbs turned to the mattress under his desk, and Danny glared at it, as if it were a longtime rival of his. "Now to deal with you…"

Roughly six hours later, Batman stood beside Danny's mattress, which was now placed in the middle of the kitchenette. The teen was slumbering peacefully on top of it, his back to the Dark Knight, his blanket wrapped tightly around him and his pillow tucked lovingly under his head. The boy looked rather cozy and peaceful, and for a moment, Batman felt the slightest bit bad that he had to rouse the teen.

Then he remembered all the things Danny had done and that feeling went- _POOF!_ –goodbye.

Nudging the teen's side, Batman called, "Hey. Wake up."

Danny groaned, lifting his head from his pillow as he looked around his apartment drearily. Eventually, his eyes found the Dark Knight behind him, as well as the open window waiting for them to leave. Looking back up at Batman, Danny commented, "You know, I have a door. It works fine. You should use it."

"Sorry. Doors aren't my M.O." Batman replied. It would've sounded silly and sarcastic if anyone else had said, but somehow, the Caped Crusader made the statement sound like the gravest thing to grace the earth, which shouldn't have been humanly possible.

The teen rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, your M.O. also says you don't work with felons, but here we are, you working with a felon!"

"Doors are too conspicuous. What am I supposed to do? Walk into a lobby?" Batman asked. By the look on Danny's face, the teen believed that Batman should walk into a lobby. Batman rolled his eyes, another gesture hidden by his mask, and stated, "Going through windows is more fun anyhow. You should try it sometime." Again, the statement was supposed to be a mild joke, but it still managed to sound like Batman was delivering the news of a loved one's death!

Danny gasped as he said, "I didn't know fun was part of your M.O.!"

Batman glared down at the teen, eliciting a cackle. Danny pushed himself up from the ground, fixed his shirt on his shoulders, and gestured to the his front door. "I'm just gonna leave now. I'll meet you outside because I'm sure you'll refuse to go with me if I ask."

The Dark Knight nodded, and Danny smirked at the answer. Then the two parted, each of the figures going to their respected exits and leaving through them. Danny locked his door behind him before wandering down the hallway, barefoot and looking less than stellar. He passed one other resident in the hallway, who gave him a slightly disgusted look, but Danny continued on, unfazed. The doorman at the front of the motel gave him a similar look, but Danny just flipped him off as he walked outside. Once there, the teen looked around, wondering where he should go to find Batman since it was doubtful he would meet Danny on an open street. Just as he pulled out his phone to call the Dark Knight, an arm locked around his waist and hoisted the teen into the air, eliciting a well-deserved shriek that could pierce the eardrums of even the deaf.

Moments later, Danny was dumped unceremoniously onto the apartment rooftop, where he scrambled to a sitting position, breathing heavily. Looking up, Danny saw Batman smirking down at him. The Dark Knight commented, "You should've just gone through the window."

"_Please_ go jump into traffic."

"Well, because you asked nicely, _no_." Batman said before wandering away, his footfalls silent. Danny scowled, growling a little bit under his breath, but he eventually got up, following after the Dark Knight. The rooftop wasn't very big, though, and the teen came to an abrupt stop when he saw Batman's ride. He simply stared, expression blank. The lack of footsteps from the boy caught the Caped Crusader's attention, and he looked over his shoulder, calling, "Something the matter?"

"It's so beautiful." Danny said, hiding his face in his hands. The teen made a small, exaggerated sobbing noise into his palms. "How come you get such an amazing piece of machinery, but I don't? I mean, I'm an ok person! I deserve cool planes!"

Batman rolled his eyes and started walking towards the Batplane again, snapping at Danny to hurry his pace up. The teen mocked the Dark Knight, scrunching his face up and repeating his words in a high-pitched tone. Batman ignored it as he climbed his way up into his plane, looking at Danny impatiently. The teen took his time, irking Batman, but the boy was too busy appreciating the sleek design of the plane to notice or care. Batman finally grabbed Danny's collar and threw him into the seat behind him, eliciting another shriek from the teen that completely drowned out Batman's mumble of, "Piece of shit…"

With Danny finally in his seat, the top of the plane closed up, trapping the two in the dome. In the backseat, Danny complained about being manhandled as he buckled up his seatbelt, but Batman ignored him as he directed the plane to begin ascending. The small, compact jet was beyond silent as it took off, though it left a large gust of wind in its wake, which slammed into the few passersby on the street, despite it being very late at night.

The ride back to Gotham was very long, as Batman found out very quickly. Danny quickly dropped his complaining when he saw that Batman wasn't going to respond and instead began questioning him on how the plane was made and worked, considering it was much more high-tech than most other jets. Danny's curiosity was adorable for all of two minutes before his incessant inquiries just became irritating. Besides, Batman didn't think Danny needed anymore knowledge in the tech field if he was just going to go using it for the wrong side of the law. Thus, the Dark Knight tried to distract the teen, but somehow the conversation always found a way to loop back to the technology that Batman had access to, and subsequently, that Danny didn't. Eventually, though, the Dark Knight stopped responding to the teen. Danny visibly deflated the longer Batman ignored him, and he eventually became quiet, which was quite the blessing.

With nothing distracting him, Danny allowed himself to doze in the backseat. It wasn't a resting sleep; he was simply napping for the sake of napping, to pass the time. However, it wasn't really proving to be the distraction the teen was looking for, as Batman quickly worked out by watching the teen in his mirrors. When he truly was asleep, Danny was very still; he hardly moved. However, when he was awake, the teen tended to fidget and shift until he was out again. And the kid did _a lot_ of fidgeting for the remainder of the plane ride.

It was actually quite fortunate for Batman that Danny snoozed for the last few minutes of the plane ride. He had no desire to show the teen where the entrance to the hangar was; Batman had no desire to show any of the entrances to the Batcave to Danny, when it came down to it. As unfortunate as it was to say, there were too many opportunities that Danny could use the information against him or sell it to any paying customer he came across. (It was another sad realization about the boy that Batman would have to add to the list.)

As soon as the plane was safely landed, the Dark Knight began unbuckling himself from his seat, and as he began getting out, Batman paused. Reaching back, he shook Danny's shoulder, calling for him to wake up for the second time that night. The teen shifted, an obvious attempt at curling up in his seat, and mumbled, "Leave me alone, you workaholic…"

Batman dryly commented, "I'm the workaholic here? Unbelievable."

Because he monitored the Dark-Net frequently, it was no mystery to the Dark Knight that Danny tended to be any typical teenager in terms of staying up late for long periods of time and then sleeping for long periods of time to make up for it. He just happened to take it to the extremes. Most other seventeen-year-olds would be like, "Hey! I'm gonna go a whole night without sleeping!" Danny happened to be that one crazy boy in every ten that said, "A whole night? Bitch, I've been up since last month! Your game is pathetic." And- big surprise! -all of that energy was geared towards running the Dark-Net. _Fan-fucking-tastic_.

Impatiently, Batman shook Danny's shoulder roughly, jostling him from what little grip sleep had on the boy. In a firm voice, the Dark Knight stated, "If you're really that tired, you can sleep on the floor. For now, _get out of my plane_."

Danny whined but did as he ordered. He undid his seatbelt, pushing himself up so he could exit the vehicle he had been so mystified by. The teen probably would've tried to convince Batman to let him exam the plane, too, if Danny hadn't seen exactly where they landed. He froze, standing on the wing of the jet, and gaped at the sight. Batman, who was already walking away from the hanger, looked back impatiently and snapped, "_What?_"

"Is this your HQ?"

"Yes." Batman stated dryly. He shook his head for a moment, rubbing his temples, and asked, "Where _else_ would we have gone?"

"I don't know. Jail?"

"Hurry up and get down here. I need to be somewhere, but I have to lay down some ground rules before I go." Batman called. The teen commented something about patience being a virtue, but the Dark Knight ignored him as he stalked hurriedly into the main chamber of the cave.

Behind him, Danny followed behind at a much slower pace. It irritated the Dark Knight further, but for once, it wasn't an intentional desire of the boy's. Outside of the hanger, the vast expanse of the cavern awed Danny, in addition to the numerous trophies and souvenirs displayed proudly throughout the lair. Danny wanted to study every last one of them (and possibly tamper with a couple of them too, just for fun). There were just so many, and it hit Danny hard just how long the Dark Knight had been doing this.

Batman turned around to snap at Danny to hurry up- _again_ –but seeing the teen's amazement stopped him. The mental images of an innocent Danny were flashing in the forefront of his mind, looking so very much like the one currently checking out the replica Joker Card hanging from the ceiling. The dark humor had drained from Danny's face, and there was the smallest of smiles playing on his lips. That stupid grin kept Batman's trap shut, even though he had places to go and people to see relatively soon.

Eventually, Danny finally made it to the spot Batman was waiting for him. (Actually, Batman caught the back of Danny's shirt as he started whizzing by to check something out, but he was finally beside the computer, and that was all that mattered.) Without further delay, Batman launched into his small list of rules that Danny only half-listened to, too distracted by the Batmobile to care about what the Caped Crusader said. Most of it was to be expected, anyway ("You can use the computer, but the minute you tamper with it, I will know." – "Don't touch anything." – "No taking any vehicles out for a joyride." – "Do _not_ use any gadgets or wear the uniforms." – "Don't leave or go up the staircase."), so it's not as if Danny was missing anything overly important.

The ground rules were wrapped up relatively quickly, but before Batman left, he informed the teen, "I have an associate who will be down every once in awhile. His name is Penny-One, and he will be showed the upmost respect."

"Yeah, yeah. Let me go look at the car now, _please_." Danny whined, leaning away from the Dark Knight, who had a firm grip on his arm. Batman sighed and rolled his eyes, feeling an unholy amount of pity for Alfred as he let the teen go. Danny screamed 'yes' and ran for the Batmobile, ignoring the Dark Knight as he left, climbing the stairs to the manor situated on top of the cave.

Alfred was pissed when he saw Bruce come through the grandfather clock, still decked out in full uniform. However, Bruce patiently explained, he couldn't very well change when the little punk Danny was in the Batcave, probably already trying to dig some secret or another up. This fact calmed the butler down, and as his supposed master quickly got ready for the rest of the day's events (Bruce already missed one meeting, unfortunately), Alfred quickly scraped together a brunch for the teen downstairs. As he descended to the dark cave, Bruce's warning of 'careful; Danny's an _interesting_ character' faded to the back of Alfred's mind. After all, the butler had dealt with numerous 'interesting characters,' as Bruce put it. Alfred could certainly deal with one more.

When Alfred made it to the Batcave (wearing a ridiculous domino mask, as per Bruce's request), he found Danny shoved half under the Batmobile, quirked at an odd angle as he squirmed. His flailing legs were trying to push himself under the car more (or get himself out; it was hard to tell). The scene, combined with the sounds of struggling, made the scene quite comical. Alfred remained stoic, however, as he placed the tray of food on Bruce's desk and began sauntering over to where Danny was struggling. The butler's footsteps were silent as they came up on the teen's side, and for a moment, all Alfred did was watch. Then he commented, "I do hope you're not doing anything too troublesome down there."

The struggling paused, and the teen slowly answered, "_Wha-a-a-at?_ Me being troublesome? Unheard of!"

Alfred rolled his eyes and said, "Come out from under there. I'm sure Batman would not appreciate you tampering with his car."

Danny whined in protest but nonetheless, did as he was told. The teen wiggled his way out, his shirt coming up as it did, and finally came out from under the Batmobile. There was grease all over his hands and a little on his arms and face as well. Even so, the teen yanked his shirt down without any hesitation as he sat up, tilting his head up to look at Alfred. The butler was giving him a disgusted look, and Danny grinned. "I'm guessing you're Penny-One?"

"That assumption would be correct." Alfred replied, still looking quite disgusted with the teen's lack of cleanliness. Danny snickered at the men's obvious distaste as Alfred bluntly stated, "I see you are in need of a good washing."

The teen made a show of tilting his head to the side, humming as if he were contemplating something. Danny shook his head, smiling deviously, and replied, "Nah, I don't think so. I'm just gonna walk around looking like this all day. All this grease sure knows how to bring out the color of my eyes, don't you think?" Danny snickered again before pushing himself to his feet, grinning deviously to himself. "Whatcha gonna do now, Penny-One?"

Well, one thing led to another, but the point was… "WHO THE FUCK LOCKS PEOPLE IN BATHROOMS? THIS IS RIDICULOUS! LET ME OUT! MY FOOD IS GONNA GET COLD!"

Despite their first impressions being far from the best, Danny and Alfred had an ok relationship by the end of the day. The teen kept his snark levels to a minimum out of fear of another bathroom event, and in return, Alfred kept a pleasant mood. There were times when Danny was showing an overwhelming amount of interest in a trophy, and Alfred would humor the teen and answer his questions. So, at the end of the day, while the two weren't planning slumber parties for the future or anything, the two could be in each other's presence, at the very least. This fact was very obvious when Batman finally reappeared in the cave, tired from a long day's work but determined to get through most of the night. He merely raised an eyebrow when he saw Danny shrink under Alfred's gaze and refrain from saying something sarcastic to the butler. All the Dark Knight had to say on the subject, though, was, "Penny-One, I need you around more often."

Alfred grinned. Danny stuck his tongue out at Batman, but it was obvious the boy was in good humor. He got from his seat at the computer and turned to the Dark Knight, his hands coming to rest on his hips. His expression neutral but eyes sparking with excitement, Danny asked, "So are we gonna go find Johnny now or what?"

"Stopping him is first on the list of priorities tonight. He caused another accident last night, and now someone's in the ICU." Batman informed, looking grim. However, the matter seemed to drop for a moment because he then gestured to Danny himself, an unimpressed look overcoming his features. "Before we can do that, though, we need to get you a disguise. There's no way in hell you're going out looking like _that_."

Danny gasped, as if wounded by the Dark Knight's words. His hand flew to his chest, planting itself over-top where his heart was. Danny said, "But-but- I look fucking fabulous!"

"As fabulous as road-kill." Alfred commented, looking thoroughly pleased with himself as he did. The statement came out so quickly that Batman almost broke a smile, and Danny gave the older man the bird, mouthing 'fuck you' with a pissed look on his face.

"Now that Penny-One has given his two-cents, what are we going to do with you?" Batman asked, running a list of old costumes through his head. All he really had, though, were old Robin and Batman costumes, and the Dark Knight did not want to confuse the public that way, should the two of them come across any media figures over the course of the night. (The media was confused enough as it was…) They could do a mosh-posh idea, but that might confuse the media more… (Batman wouldn't worry so much, if he wasn't so sick of reporters getting the wrong idea time and time again, those bastards.)

Danny grinned before sighing in an exaggerated manner. Having been around the teen enough, Batman's eyes quickly turned to him, the white lenses narrowing into slits. Danny batted his blue eyes at him cutely before saying, "Well, I already have something that will clear this entire issue up, but you're probably going to hate me for it."

"Why is that?" Batman asked darkly.

"Well, while I never lied about anything (I think), I do have a way with leaving out important truths…" Danny started, lightly gliding past Batman as he began tiptoeing in the direction of the Batmobile. The Dark Knight stayed eerily still as he watched the teen saunter away, eyes narrowed. Danny hummed a little tune before he turned around, looking pleased with himself. "This happens to be one of those silly, little truths."

A white ring erupted around Danny's waist. It split in two, traveling up and down the boy's body. In the ebony-haired, blue-eyed teen's wake stood an eerily familiar figure with white hair and glowing, green eyes. Gone was the t-shirt and baggy sweatpants. They were replaced with a black vest zipped up the front of the boy's chest and black jeans with white stitching, the ends tucked into boots. Two green belts crisscrossed over Danny's waistline. The hood of the teen's vest was up and pulled to the front, casting shadows over Danny's face. A white aura hovered over the boy's tanned skin, faintly humming in the silence of the cave.

"My word…" Alfred mumbled. Batman's face twisted into a dark expression.

Danny didn't care to take notice of his supervisor's growing anger. He simply threw up his arms, as if he were in a reality show and he had just revealed something exciting. Cheekily, he said, "If we're being serious here, though, you have your secrets too, so don't start hating." Danny laughed, placing his hands on his hips. His grin was teasing as he waited for a few moments before asking, "You gonna say anything, Batsy? Wait, is your head gonna explode cause I blew your mind? Please tell me that'll happen." Danny bounced in his spot like a child.

Batman merely shot a farewell look to Alfred, who gave a meaningful look in return. The Dark Knight didn't seem to take notice in it, though, as he began marching in the direction of the Batmobile. As he began passing Danny, though, he paused and asked darkly, "Anything else I should know about you?"

"Not for the moment, no, Darling." Danny teased, his grin looking positively delighted. It must have been quite the achievement to get under the Dark Knight's skin in the way that he had.

For a moment, Batman refused to move. He forced himself to press on, ordering Danny to keep up behind him. The teen had no qualms doing so, practically skipping behind his supervisor as they headed for the Batmobile. As Batman stalked his way and Danny lightly sauntered his, the teen spotted one of the Caped Crusader's motorcycles parked silently in its spot. The teen asked, "Can I drive that sometime?"

"No."

Danny rolled his eyes at his moody supervisor and jogged past the man. Batman watched him race away, noticing the white, angel wings stitched onto the back of the boy's vest. They were stretched out wide, but they were two big to finish on the vest itself. Instead, they continued as black tattoos down the back of the boy's arms. Batman wondered why, out of all the things the teen could've inked onto his body, he chose that imagery. The Caped Crusader didn't ask, though.

As soon as Batman got there, the two climbed into the Batmobile, top closing over them, much like the Batplane did. Danny called one last goodbye to Alfred as it closed, earning a small smile from the man as he watched the Batmobile roar to life. Alfred waved once as the car flew down the long tunnel, disappearing from sight almost instantly but the sounds fading slowly with time.

Inside the Batmobile, Danny watched the passing scenery with great interest, shocked by the speed they were traveling at. As they approached the exit, Batman jerked the wheel to the left, slamming Danny into his side door on purpose. The teen yelped at the pain that exploded in his arm, but Batman was just happy that the teen was too distracted to take notice of the road he had pulled out on. The formidable car peeled off down the back-road, the loud roar drowning out all of Danny's screams of anger at being thrown. Batman only smirked and commented, "You should've worn your seatbelt."

As soon as they were on a straightaway, Danny pulled himself up and into his seat again. He quickly buckled in his seatbelt, breathing heavily as he glared at the Dark Knight from the corner of his eyes. As the teen adjusted himself in his seat to better brace himself against any unexpected turns in the future, Danny heatedly asked, "Do I _have_ to say it?"

"Let me guess… 'Fuck you.'"

"My words exactly!"

Batman shook his head a little, an action that went unnoticed by Danny as he looked out at the blurry scenery again. The ride was smooth, but there was still caution in the teen's eyes as he waited for another sudden turn to throw him around. If he wasn't such a prick, Batman might've considered putting his worries to rest. For now, though, he merely asked, "So what am I supposed to call you in the field?"

Danny was silent for a moment, something very unlike him. Normally, when the boy thought about an answer, he liked to hum or make some other exaggerated motion, so you were well aware that he was taking it into consideration. However, since he'd been so spooked by the random sudden turn, Danny seemed to be refraining from irritating to the Dark Knight too much, so he wouldn't consider doing it again. (Batman took this as a win, instead of feeling bad, like he should've.) Finally, Danny answered, "Just call me Graveyard. It's one of my favorite names on the Dark-Net, but no one ever calls me it."

The older man nodded, and they fell quiet. There was only the faint howl of the wind from outside, which penetrated the thick armor of the car. After some minutes of driving, Batman finally asked, "So, do you have any powers?"

"A couple." Danny- Graveyard -answered, but he didn't go into naming what they were. Batman wanted to ask, but he didn't think he'd get an answer. The boy was very secretive when it came to his personal life, unless he was convinced there was no way you could dig any of the details up. Even then, usually what he gave Batman was vague. Like the discussion with the Ghost Zone. Graveyard said it was hard to get in and out of the dimension but never mentioned why or how. Graveyard liked to give answers that satisfied you for a time but usually left you with more questions than what you started with. So, for now, all the information Batman had was that Graveyard was a meta. An inactive one, but a meta nonetheless. Where his special abilities lay, only God knew.

Batman allowed another pause before asking, "Were you born with them?"

Graveyard shot the adult a look, his usual smirk blossoming on his face. However, this time it was expectant as he asked, "Are you going into another one of those twenty questions games you seem to like so much? You did that last time we had one of our fun, little play-dates."

The Caped Crusader didn't answer. He merely turned his head for a moment, acknowledging the other teen's statement, and then focused on the road, leaving it up to Graveyard to decide what he meant by it. Graveyard watched him for a moment before letting out a long sigh. He slunk further in his seat and said, "I got them in an accident when I was fourteen. As I've mentioned before, I was in the Ghost Zone for a time. I accidentally found it on accident, and Technus was the one to help me regroup. Said he could help me get home. I just happened to learn a couple tricks for him because he found out I'm a tech genius. However, the other ghosts living nearby weren't too fond of me at first, which is understandable because I'm a prick. Anyway, one day, I was out, and a bunch of them ganged up on me. They attempted to kill me with their ecto-rays, but instead of dying, I gained powers instead."

"That must have been terrifying." Batman said, feeling a little disturbed at how casually Graveyard spoke of his (literal) near-death experience.

Graveyard only allowed his head to lull in the direction of the Dark Knight's. There was a humorous grin on his face, but the expression was too dark to take for funny. Graveyard said, "Are you kidding me? I thought it was the most hilarious middle finger the universe has ever blessed this world with."

After an awkward pause, Batman tried to change the subject, but Graveyard answered in his typical, vague way. Eventually, the Dark Knight just stopped trying, driving through Gotham silently, doing his best to blend in with the rest of the drivers out and about. Graveyard watched the traffic, occasionally remarking about some car or another in a humiliating way. The comments surely would've burned anyone to the ground, had they been present in the car with Batman and the teen.

For hours, however, there was no sign of Johnny 13 and Kitty. The police scanner was relatively quiet for Gotham, and for a long time, Batman and Graveyard simply cruised around the city.

There was one stop, however. One of the Gotham City's biggest banks was being robbed (for the third time that year), and Graveyard and Batman happened to be in the neighborhood. They quickly made it to the scene, and the Dark Knight forbid Graveyard from going with him for an uncountable amount of reasons. Batman had expected resistance, but Graveyard had been uncharacteristically docile about the whole thing. Batman found out why when he came back, and dozens of people were surrounding alley, which the Batmobile had been hidden away in. A fire-escape laid in ruins, a dumpster was on its side and _flaming_, and all the car's hazards and alarms were flickering and blaring. Inside the car, Graveyard was still pressing buttons he was not supposed to be pressing. After slapping the teen, Batman promised never to leave Graveyard alone in his vehicles again and threatened to kill the boy if he ever did something like that again.

Batman wanted to stay and help with the cleanup, but the police scanner decided to come to life at that time, putting in a call for the motorist that had been plaguing Gotham every night for a week. The Dark Knight had sighed, typed up a regretful text to Gordon, and then peeled off down the road. Graveyard's cackling turned into terrified screams, which Batman believed was justly deserved.

Fortunately for the wayward teen, the aggressive ride was over just minutes later (though it felt like an eternity for Graveyard, who would be sporting bruises on his arms for weeks). As soon as the car was put into park and the top was open, Graveyard was pulling himself out. He planned on landing gracefully on the pavement, but his foot caught on the side of the car. His face met the pavement seconds later.

Batman _actually_ chuckled. Like, he was schoolgirl giggling and everything! He commented between snickers, "Graceful."

Graveyard's face was a mix of anger and irritation as he pushed himself up onto his arms. He blew a strand of white hair from his face and mumbled, "He's dead. I'm killing him."

Booted feet walked into Graveyard's line of sight, and the teen looked up at the smirking hero. Batman was holding out his hand for him to take, and as Graveyard began pushing himself to his knees, he contemplated whether he should allow the Dark Knight to help him. In the end, Graveyard accepted Batman's hand, allowing the older hero to pull him to his feet. The boy didn't acknowledge it happened, though, and looked around. He asked, "So why are we here? I thought we were supposed to be stopping Johnny."

"We are." Batman replied, nodding his head in the direction of wailing police sirens. "His route is different every night, but your friend always crosses the bridge. Johnny's on his way here now. It'll be a few minutes, though."

Graveyard's smirk played on the edges of his lips as he rubbed his hands together. "Oh, this is gonna be good."

The two darkly clad figures didn't have to wait long for Johnny and Kitty. The police sirens were constantly moving closer to their positions, and before too long, the roar of a motorcycle was turning onto the bridge, just as Batman had predicted. Graveyard moved to stand in front of the Batmobile with no visible fear on his face. The bike approached closer and closer, traveling at high speeds. The teen, though, decided to wait to the last possible moment to yell, "HEY JOHNNY~! MISS ME?"

There was a horrible _SC-R-R-REECH_ as the brakes of the bike were suddenly mashed. The bike skidded forward, the friction causing an ear-piercing squeal. However, the bike was still moving forward and forward and forward, and Batman was yelling for Graveyard to move, but he wasn't listening. But then the bike came to an abrupt stop, right in front of Graveyard, who hadn't moved an inch. In fact, he leaned forward, allowing his elbows to rest on the handlebars as he grinned at the driver. Sarcastically, the teen asked, "Cutting it a little close there, don't you think, Johnny?"

Johnny looked at Graveyard with amazed, wide eyes, his girlfriend peeking over the man's shoulders to look at the smirking boy leaning against the bike. Finally, the blonde, reckless driver asked, "Little D?"

Under the hood, Graveyard's green eyes sparked in amusement. "Actually, I'm going by Graveyard now, but uh, yeah, that'd be me." Placing one hand to his chest, the teen dramatically said, "I've changed a lot over the years, but I'm still the same person you once knew."

The police cars came screeching to a halt behind them, and cops started pouring out of the doors. They looked in confusion between the two on the bike and the glowing silhouette causally speaking to them. Batman swept by the trio, gesturing to Commissioner Gordon to talk to him. Despite the heavy police presence around them, Johnny still barked a laugh at Graveyard's comment, and Kitty hopped off the bike, unconcerned. She quickly swept up beside the teen, hugging him tightly around the neck as he stood up straight, laughing at the affectionate display. Gleefully, the green-haired woman sang, "Aw, it's my little buddy~!"

Johnny got off the bike, and as soon as Kitty let go, he and Graveyard clasped hands before coming into a half-hug. The two clapped each other's backs before pulling away, grinning deviously. Kitty leaned against the teen's shoulder as Johnny said, "It's been too long, dude! Look, you got an inch taller since the last time we met! How adorable!"

Graveyard stuck his tongue out. Kitty asked, "Where've you been, babe?"

"Here, there, everywhere mostly. I set up a base in Las Vegas not too long ago, though. You guys should come check it out sometime." Graveyard replied, smiling genuinely for the first time in a long time for him.

Kitty and Johnny gave each other a look, smiles on their faces as well. Johnny looked back at the boy and commented casually, "I think we'd love that. Have you tricked it out and turned into that computer lab you've always wanted?"

The teen rubbed his hands together, obviously excited as he nodded erratically. "Yes, I have! It's not a very big space, but I've got projects going on everywhere. I finally finished that hologram design I was working on not long after I left the Ghost Zone, and it's been working fabulously. I plan on upgrading it soon. The laptops are taking up a lot of space on the desks."

"You've certainly been a lot busier than we thought." Kitty commented. Graveyard smirked at her, seemingly pleased by this statement. Johnny shook his head, and Graveyard asked what had been going on with the two of them and the events happening in the Ghost Zone. For a few minutes, the trio just spent some casual time catching up with each other, oblivious to the heavy police presence waiting just yards away from their spot. The only thing holding the cops back from attempting to take the reckless driver in was the Dark Knight telling them to hold back and let the new figure talk to the two.

The trio laughed at something Graveyard said, and as it died down, Johnny asked, "So Grave, if you live in Las Vegas, what are you doing in Gotham with the big, bad Bat? Last I checked, you did things that would have him sending you to jail."

"That's a long story I can't give you right now. Too many witnesses, you know?" Graveyard answered, grinning like the Cheshire cat. "But I'm here to convince you guys to stop joyriding through Gotham. I know it's fun, but it's been causing a lot of accidents. Think you guys could do me a solid and stick to dirt trails and back roads?" Danny asked remorselessly.

Johnny and Kitty shared a look while Graveyard waited, his arms crossed over his chest. The blonde finally nodded, smiling good-naturedly as he said, "Yeah, I can do that for ya. We weren't gonna hang around the city much longer anyway."

"Thanks Johnny." Graveyard said, holding out his hand with an unnaturally devious smile on his face. Johnny raised an eyebrow at the look but accepted the hand, nonetheless. The two half-hugged again, sharply slapping each other on the backs. As soon as they pulled away, Graveyard gave Kitty another hug as well, saying, "Oh, I missed you guys. Seriously, though, come visit sometime. I'd love to catch up."

Johnny shoved his hands in his pockets, an easy smile on his face as Kitty came up on his side and hugged his arm. The green-haired woman said, "We will, D. Stay grounded while we're away, ok?"

Graveyard nodded, watching the two as they hopped back on the bike. The boy saluted to his friends as Johnny started the bike. Kitty waved, and Johnny returned the salute before the man revved the engine. In seconds, the two were flying down the bridge again, avoiding the Batmobile parked in the middle of the road. Graveyard watched them drive away, a content smile on his face. Batman slowly walked up beside him and said, "Will we have to deal with them again?"

The teen shook his head. "Nah. They're pretty chill. They understand." Looking up at his supervisor, Graveyard asked, "Are we going back to the Batcave now?"

Batman looked down at the teen, ready to tell him no, but that idea was immediately shot down when he saw the boy's hopeful expression. With an inaudible sigh, Batman replied, "Yeah. We're going."

Graveyard immediately threw his hands in the air, shouting 'yes.' In that moment, Batman felt like he was doing something right with the teen for the first time since they met.

* * *

On the outskirts of Gotham City, Johnny pulled off the road, bringing his motorcycle to a gentle stop in a patch of grass. Kitty looked over his shoulder, confused by the unexpected stop. She asked, "Johnny, what's going on? Is something wrong?"

Johnny held his hand up in a 'one minute' gesture as he fished for something in his pocket. He pulled out a slip of paper, unrolling it to read what was hurriedly scratched in heavy ink and bad handwriting. After reading it real quick, Johnny barked a laugh and handed the slip back to his girlfriend, saying, "Look at what that little devil slipped me before we left."

Kitty read it quickly as well, her lips breaking out into an amused grin. "He's a devious one, that Danny."

The slip of paper read:

My address is at the bottom of this note. If you would be so kind as to memorize it and burn this, that'd be awesome. Oh, and if you would piss the Bat off by riding through town every once in awhile, that'd be great too. Thanks. You guys are the best.

-Little D


	5. Holding Cell

Ch.5: Holding Cell

Gloved fingers typed erratically on the Zeta-Tube's control panel, putting in coordinates for one irritating teen's home. Organized chaos buzzed all around Batman, but it was an easy thing for him to ignore. Some of the other members of the League looked the Dark Knight's way, but no one was in the mood to approach him and start a conversation, one-sided as it would be. That was all fine with Batman, though. He didn't want anyone starting conversations they didn't want to take part in, either. He had business to take care of, anyway.

Batman finished typing in his destination, and the portal lit to life. No time was wasted. The Dark Knight began stalking for the blinding light, but his efforts were hindered when a blue-clad figure decided to step in his way. Batman glared irritably at the grinning Superman, wishing that a stupid green rock wasn't the only thing that could smite the equally as stupid hero. In a rare display of emotion, the Dark Knight snapped, "What do _you _want?" (Oh _God_, Batman was starting to become Danny…)

The Man of Steel was pretty unconcerned with Batman's mean-spirited quip. In fact, Superman only looked curiously at the man he considered to be one of his best friends (though it was questionable if Batman returned those feelings even the tiniest bit). "I've noticed you've been going to Las Vegas a lot lately."

"Wow, with observations like that, it's a wonder you didn't go into detective work." Batman mumbled, rolling his eyes.

He was ignored as Superman continued, "If you were Flash, I would simply assume were gambling or trying to land a date. You're not that type, though."

"Will your deduction skills ever cease to blow me away?"

"So what's in Las Vegas?" Superman asked.

Batman's glare transformed into the notorious Bat-Glare, the look that had criminals sobbing at his feet and begging for their dignities to remain intact. Unfortunately, it didn't work as well on the Man of Steel, but at least it conveyed how pissed off Batman was becoming. That usually got people to back off, and if it didn't, the Dark Knight got the chance to throw someone off the side of a rooftop. Score!

"It's nothing to be concerned about, and it's certainly not any of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Batman trailed off, stepping to the side so he could go around the Man of Steel. Superman, the insufferable twit, moved in front of him before Batman could, though. The Bat-Glare began to resemble the promise of hell more and more as the Dark Knight said in his most emotionally-dead voice, "Kent, you are one step away from being beaten with kryptonite. Choose your next actions wisely."

"Come on, Batman. Don't be so stubborn. I just want to know why you're leaving Gotham so much. It doesn't happen often, you know." Superman teased, only darkening the Dark Knight's mood with his chipper attitude. The Man of Steel decided to make his death wish worse, though, and said, "Besides, most people would've just answered the question by now and be done with it."

"Well, I'm not most people, so get out of my way before I shove kryptonite so far up your ass, you'll be devouring lead to cleanse yourself of the pain." Batman hissed before attempting to step around the Man of Steel again. Superman decided that he _really_ wanted to die and continued to block the Caped Crusader's way. Batman resisted huffing like a child. "_Kent_…"

"If you really wanted to keep this on the down-low, you wouldn't be so openly irritated with me." Superman stated, flashing a grin Batman would have loved to punch off his smug face. "Come on, Batman. I'm your friend."

"Pushing it."

"If you don't want anybody else to know about it, it'll stay between us. Just sate this journalist's curiosity already." Superman pressured in his teasing way.

Even though his irritation was obvious, Batman didn't let on how vexed he was over the Man of Steel's questions. Contrary to popular belief, the Dark Knight did have quite a bit of faith in the Superman, and he would've already come out and told him about Danny, but there were so many other Leaguers in the near vicinity. Batman wasn't overly keen of his relationship with the boy spreading around the Watchtower just yet. He didn't need everyone asking about the new kid just yet. (And please, God, _no more_ pedophile jokes already.)

With a reluctant sigh, Batman hissed lowly, "If you really want to find out, you come with me, but this does _not_ leave us. Understand?"

Pleased, Superman nodded. Batman sighed under his breath before finally walking around the Man of Steel, stepping onto the pad that continued to glow. Superman followed him, and in the next second, the two of them were standing atop the apartment building Danny happened to live in. Without any hesitation, Batman turned and stalked to the edge of the roof, where he scaled the rusty fire-escape until he came to Danny's window. Superman floated behind the black-clad man, and within barely a minute, the two were inside of Danny's apartment. The Man of Steel didn't seem impressed by the layout, and Batman could understand why. The apartment was empty, and the laptops and stereo were turned off, killing the impressive atmosphere the apartment usually had. At least the mattress was kicked back under the desk, though, out of sight, out of mind.

"So, why are we here? It looks pretty dead to me." Superman commented, raising an eyebrow at his friend, who was looking around with a scrutinizing gaze.

"We're here because this is the answer to your pestering question." Batman snapped. Honestly, he was a little bit worried. There were no signs of distress anywhere, but the Dark Knight couldn't imagine a lot of reasons Danny wouldn't be in his apartment, especially at night. "He's not here."

Superman shook his head, exasperated as he said, "People go out, Bats."

"Not him. He doesn't have a lot of reasons to leave his apartment, and he likes it that way. And when he does leave, it's typically in the early mornings. My guess is to avoid crowds." Batman informed, sounding rather dead for such worried words. "This is very unusual for him."

"I'm surprised you don't have a tracker on him." Superman commented sarcastically.

"I did. It was on him for a week before he found it." Batman said, unclasping one of the pouches on his belt and fishing something out with his gloved palm. "Besides, it wasn't very useful anyway. He's here practically 24/7. The only thing I learned was that one little detail and that he is sorely predictable."

Superman sighed. "I was joking."

"I know. I was killing your mood." Batman said as he looked back at the Man of Steel, his face emotionless as he pressed a number on the phone he had pulled from his utility belt. The typical ringing began sounding in the Bluetooth installed in his cowl. It rang three times before it was picked up, and an irritated voice snapped, "_What?_"

The Man of Steel looked as if he had been slapped. The voice was so young and so _moody_. Superman had been expecting to deal with a cooky, awkward adult. Batman, though, seemed entirely unconcerned with how young the voice on the other end was. He merely rolled his eyes at the greeting and commented, "You should really work on your greetings. A simple 'hello' would do just as good as any snappy question you make."

"_Oh, I'll get _right on that_, Bats. It will be my greatest priority from here on out._" The young male's voice said sarcastically. Even though he feigned great passion really well, it was still easy to detect the eye-roll in the middle of his statement. The moody teen(?) followed up his performance with, "_Now, again, what do you want this time?_"

"Before we get into that, I want to know where you are. I'm standing in your apartment, and you're not here, being obnoxious. Why is that?" Batman asked, sounding like an expectant parent that wasn't entirely too surprised to hear their child was sent to the principal's office. And that, Superman found, was quite concerning. It was even more concerning when the kid chuckled nervously at the other end of the line, as if he knew Batman was like the parent of the kid who frequently went to the principal's office.

"_Heh-heh, well, you see…_" Batman sighed, reaching up to rub his temples. "_…I _might've_ stolen a bracelet at the store a couple of hours ago._" Before the Dark Knight could say anything, the kid rushed out, "_Don't yell at me! It only cost five bucks, but it was bright and shiny, and when it comes down to it, I'm a barracuda! I'm a badass, but I like shiny things. Sue me! And I didn't mean to steal it. Honest! It's just an old habit from some street-kid days I had that I'm sure you're aware of by this point. I don't know why I feel the need to steal, though. I mean, I steal from Vandal Savage all the fucking time, so I should-_"

"You _what?!_"

Superman found it even more concerning how exasperated the Dark Knight sounded.

"_Crap, I really need to stop talking sometimes… Anyway, yeah, Vandal Savage is loaded, so I give myself a couple thousand dollars every once in awhile. And I mean, he is _loaded_._" The kid chuckled amusedly. "_And he totally deserves to be stolen from. How many crimes against humanity has he committed over the past couple of years? I know it's a lot._"

Batman continued to rub his temples, a small tick starting in the corner of one of his eyes, hidden by the cowl. The exasperated man took a small, deep breath before stating, "We'll deal with that later. Alright, so you stole a bracelet, and since you're not at your apartment, you were caught, right?"

"_Yeah. The security guard that worked at the store was really into his job, unfortunately. I'm at the Las Vegas PD now, sitting in a holding cell. They're running my prints now, but those bitches won't find nothing on me. HA! Although… I guess it really doesn't matter… The cops that work here know my alias by heart, so…_"

"If you're in a holding cell, how the hell was I able to call you?"

"_Hehe, I've been to this station so many times that I've got a backup Bluetooth stashed in a hiding place. The cops may know me well, but those bitches got nothing on me. BEAT THAT, FUCKERS!_" The teen yelled, sounding victorious for all of two seconds before an unfamiliar voice yelled something, and the boy mumbled, "_Shit, they heard me…_"

"I should let you stay the night, but I need you for a job. I'll be there in a little while to bail you out." Batman reluctantly said. Danny whooped on the other end before hanging up. The Dark Knight didn't mind a bit; he needed the break from Danny already. As he turned to head back to the window, all he saw was Superman's very concerned face. Batman rolled his eyes. "I'll explain everything on the way to the police department. For now, let's just go."

* * *

Danny whistled to an imaginary tune, bobbing his head as he lay on his back. His arms were crossed under his head, slightly cushioning the hardness of the concrete floor. He lazily kicked the air to the tune of his whistling. The teen's expression was of sheer boredom, and Danny thought of all the things he could've been doing. So many wonderful, slightly illegal things, and he was here because of his stupid kleptomania. Why the hell had he thought all those years ago that stealing becoming second-nature was a good idea?

The teen could hear the officers moving down the hall. They occasionally came down to check on him to make sure he was still around. (Good thing too; otherwise, Danny would've been long gone by now.) Danny always made sure to grin innocently, wink, and occasionally tease the officers. They always rolled their eyes as they left, ignoring the teen's cackling following them down the hall.

As he waited for the Dark Knight to hurry and pick him up already (it'd already been, like, ten minutes! Ridiculous!), Danny thought about his strange habits as a child. He had been noticing for awhile most of said strange habits tended to be about what he thought when he heard certain words. Like, when he was younger, hearing the word 'bored,' corn would instantly come to mind, and 'yes ma'am' would instantly translate to doughnuts. But not just any doughnut! No, the doughnut that always came to mind was any normal cake doughnut slathered in pink strawberry and rainbow sprinkles.

It was quite amusing, if Danny said so himself. It was all very absurd, and for the life of him, the boy could not figure out why his four-year-old self would think such things. Was there some psychological reason, or had Danny just simply been obsessed with corn and pink-frosted doughnuts with sprinkles? The world may never know for sure.

However, with Danny's short attention span, thinking about such trivial (but very amusing) matters didn't keep him occupied for long. To cure his every growing boredom, Danny resorted to finding weird positions to lay in and yelled down the hall at the cops. His screaming eventually got so irritating that someone yelled back at Danny to shut up. It was rightly deserved. It was too bad the boy only took the infuriated yell as encouragement and continued to be annoying for the poor officers just trying to get in some last minute paperwork done.

Finally (_finally_), an exhausted, vexed officer appeared just beyond the metal bars. Danny looked at him, grinning deviously as he shifted into a lotus position. Cheerily, the teen said, "Hello Officer! Is there any news you would like to tell me?"

The cop- his name was Wilson, Danny remembered –sighed, a reaction that seemed quite prominent whenever the boy was around. With great reluctance (another prominent thing that everyone seemed to have around Danny), Officer Wilson pulled out his keys and unlocked the cell door. Danny smirked as he rose from the floor. The officer said, "You got lucky. Some guy is bailing you out, though he looks like he'd rather push you from a cliff than release from jail."

Danny grinned as he strolled out the door and said, "It's how he shows love."

Just as Officer Wilson stated, there was a man at the front of the police station, but Danny almost had a double-take when he saw how un-Batman like the figure looked like. Sure, he had the height, and he certainly had the broadness in stature. However, if any of it was muscle, no one would ever be able to tell. Plus, the man was blonde with a mustache, and Batman never struck Danny as a blonde. And the most important question of all, _where the hell _would he hide the damn _mustache_? There was always a whole lot of Batman's face that was covered, but his upper lip was not part of that district.

For a moment, Danny wondered if this was some random man Batman bribed to bail him out, so he himself would not have to enter the police station. Hell, who was to say the man was with the Dark Knight _at all_? _What if this was some random stranger who decided to just randomly bail someone out of jail?_ Who even did that kind of thing?! _Were_ there people who did that kind of thing?! Someone, answer Danny's internal monologue, for he did not know what-! Nope, that was totally Batman's glare. Danny was gonna be fine. (Until his usefulness ran out. Then Batman was going to kill him for wasting his time.)

"Thanks for bailing me out, my batty, old friend." Danny teased, walking up beside the taller man and purposefully bumping into his side. It jostled the disguised Dark Knight for a moment before he caught himself. The young officer behind the desk tilted his head at the comment, but Batman only mumbled something about pesky teenagers being the bane of existence. Danny took it as a compliment and bobbed his head back and forth gleefully.

It took a few minutes, but Batman eventually filled out whatever forms he was forced to complete. The officer behind the desk dismissed them, and as the two began leaving the station, Batman abruptly grabbed Danny's nape, leading him out of the building stiffly. The teen struggled in the older's grip, his hands trying to pry Batman's away and failing. "Hey, I'm precious cargo, damn it! Stop manhandling me!"

The statement went ignored. Danny contemplated angling his head so he could bite the Dark Knight. If he was going to be treated like a dog, he might as well act like one.

The two circled around to the side of the building, where Batman shoved Danny into an alley roughly. As the teen yelped and stumbled forward, catching himself, Batman pressed a finger to his belt, and his disguise fizzled out. As soon as he was righted, Danny turned on the Dark Knight, glaring at him for the treatment. "Next time you do something unpleasant to me, I will make sure your body is found in a ditch."

"Don't get arrested, and I won't have to put you on a leash." Batman seethed, patting the teen's head conceitedly. Danny slapped his hand away, yelling indignantly. Batman grabbed the teen's wrist, roughly pulling the boy's arm down from the air. Growling, Danny pulled at his wrist, trying to once again pry himself from the Dark Knight's death grip.

As the teen began swearing and making death-threats, Superman decided to take that moment to float down from his hiding spot on the roof. With nervous cheerfulness, he said, "Alright, before the two of you destroy Las Vegas while trying to destroy each other, why don't we get to the point of this visit?"

The two males both froze as Superman's feet met the ground. Batman recovered the quickest and released Danny's wrist, but the boy only looked at the Man of Steel in astonishment, frozen and speechless (the world was ending). Superman nervously looked between the teen and the unconcerned Dark Knight, looking for direction. However, Batman didn't seem to be in the mood to help him. Finally, Danny looked at the Caped Crusader and said, "Why the hell did you bring you _the boy scout?_"

As Superman blanched, Batman smirked at the Man of Steel. Looking back at the teen, he replied, "He was curious as to why I've chosen this as a destination place over the last couple of weeks."

"And you brought him _here?!_" Danny yelled, looking completely and utterly mortified. Batman rolled his eyes, Superman just watching with his mouth hanging open. "The hell, man! This is Las Vegas! There was a plethora of lies you could've chosen from, and you actually went with the _truth?!_ Who does that?!"

_SMACK_. "_OW!_"

"Lying has never gotten anyone anywhere." Batman stated seriously, watching Danny emotionlessly as the teen rubbed the back of his head, where the root of his aching was originating from.

The ebony-haired boy glared at his supervisor. "I beg to differ. I've lied plenty of times and look where I am now! I'm sitting on a pile of Vandal Savage's cash! Lying has made me the person I am today."

"That's not a good thing."

"I never said it was." Danny smirked and started doing one of his little dances. Batman shook his head, a disapproving glare on his face.

Superman, who had pretty much been disregarded for a good chunk of the conversation, looked between the Less-Than-Dynamic Duo, feeling very uncomfortable with himself. He would be lying if he said he wasn't the smallest bit confused too. The Man of Steel interjected, "Not to be rude-"

"Too late." Danny remarked. Batman smirked. Superman frowned.

"-but can we get back on point?" Superman asked. The teen opened his mouth, his smirk playing deviously, but the Man of Steel cut him off before he could get a word out. "I know we're here because Batman needs you for a job, but I'm confused by what Batman would need from someone. He says you're a tech genius, but so is he, so I'm not seeing why he needs you so bad."

Instead of being offended, like most others would be, Danny's devious grin only began to practically drip with mischievousness. He turned to look at the Dark Knight again, something that kept happening. Danny only seemed to talk to the Man of Steel to shame him; otherwise, he started talking to Batman to still shame him, just in a way that was sometimes worse than the direct insults. The teen did not disappoint in this department as he commented, "Oh, this poor, clueless _bastard_."

Fortunately for Superman, Batman could sense his growing agitation and unease around Danny (two perfectly normal feelings, if the Dark Knight said so himself). Thus, Batman gladly smacked Danny upside the head again, earning another irritated, pained yelp from the boy. Remorselessly, Batman said, "Play nice. If he wanted to, Superman could fry you where you stand. Fortunately, he has something called courtesy-"

"Something neither you nor I possess."

"-which holds him back from making sure you're nothing more than a smear on the ground." Batman finished, and the two others present noticed he did not bother to deny nor confirm Danny's interjection, mostly because he may have agreed with the teen boy a little. After all, while Superman seemed to possess an infinite amount of patience, Batman did not. His solutions for dealing with Danny normally ended in violence because that was the only way to shut the teen up.

Superman smiled gratefully at his darkly-clad friend. If Batman noticed, he didn't acknowledge it. Danny rolled his eyes at the Dark Knight's little speech but didn't retort with anything, other than with what he already said. The teen merely said, "Ok, fine, whatever. I wish I had patience to listen to things I already know about. Can I go home now?"

Batman sighed, wished the teen wasn't so aggravating, and nodded his head. Danny grinned gleefully before suddenly awkwardly looking around. "Um… How are we supposed to get home exactly?"

_One Very Awkward Ride (Via Superman) Home Later…_

Danny whistled as he unlocked his front door, ignoring the teenager exiting his own apartment just a couple doors down the hall. As soon as the lock clicked open, the teen turned the doorknob and entered his beloved home. He casually closed it behind him, locking it once again. Turning around, Danny said, "Seriously, all you heroes need to start using doors. I know it sounds complicated, but with just a little practice, even you brain donors can figure it out. I believe in you the same way I believe Mickey D's gives me shitty food but in an impossible amount of time."

"It's not ever going to happen. Suck it up." Batman snapped. Superman shook his head. The other two ignored him, though, as usual (the poor Man of Steel; he couldn't catch a break). Batman nodded towards the mess of electronics and wires strewn about the desks to the side and said, "Now, let's get to work, shall we?"

The teen stuck his tongue out, but Batman only gestured to the computers again. Danny sighed in an exaggerated manner but did as he was silently told. As he passed, the boy turned on his stereo, which immediately began blaring Meghan Trainor's "Me Too," to Superman's ears' misfortune. ("IT'S MY THEME SONG, OH MY GOSH!" – "WORK! GET TO IT, DANNY!") Batman turned the volume down to a more tolerable volume as the teen cackled, powering his laptops up with a few buttons. As they quickly started coming to life, Danny picked up his Bluetooth ear-piece and wedged it into his ear. Turning to Superman with his signature grin, the teen said, "Now Batman here has probably mentioned that I'm good with computers. Actually, you confirmed that earlier. What am I talking about?" As quickly as he said this, though, Danny's teasing expression dropped into a solemn one. Holding his hands in front of him and looking down, the teen continued, "But the truth is…" Hurriedly turning around in a flash and with one flick of his wrist, all of the holograms came to life, astonishing the Man of Steel- and _when_ did Danny's grin come back? "I'm the fucking master."

Superman just kept staring, mind blown. Danny did a little shoulder dance before falling into his chair. Leaning back, the teen asked, "Alright, so what can my exclusive tech-support service do for _you_ today, Batsy? As you know, the staff of one is always making an effort to make sure your expectations are met, and our service remains number one."

They couldn't see it, but both the Man of Steel and Danny could _feel_ the eye-roll Batman made. Emotionlessly, the Dark Knight replied, "I need you to find another guy for me. Here's his information." Batman handed the teen a slip of paper. "He used to work for the Riddler, but no one has seen him in years, not even on the internet."

Danny took the slip excitedly, saying, "OOO~, a challenge! I'm gonna have fun with-" The teen opened the slip of paper with interested eyes, turned his chair around, and promptly slammed his head against the desk, startling the two heroes. Batman almost asked what was wrong, but Danny said, "Damn it! Dreams annihilated. This fucker lives down the hall. Room 208. Go haul his ass off to jail now please. I didn't even get to show off my impressive skills to the newbie." Danny made an exaggerated sobbing noise against his desk.

"That wasn't even worth bailing you out of jail for." Batman said, rolling his eyes under his cowl.

The sobbing got louder and more obnoxious. "I _know-w-w!_"

The Dark Knight shook his head as he began wandering back towards the window, ignoring Danny and his acting. Trying to hide his bewilderment, Superman called, "It was nice to meet you, Danny."

"It's too bad I can't say the same." The teen replied, popping up from his sob-fest and immediately typing erratically on the keyboard in front of him.

The statement shouldn't have been as surprising as it was. After all, the teen had either been insulting or ignoring him the entire 'visit.' It was obvious he hadn't very much liked the Man of Steel (hell, it didn't even seem like the boy was the slightest bit fond of Batman). And yet, Superman still felt offended by the statement. After all, he hadn't done anything wrong, hadn't treated Danny badly, and this intense feeling showed when Superman said, "You think you're God's gift to this world, don't you?"

As expected, Danny looked over his shoulder with an innocent smile, though it had never and would never fool anyone. In the cutest voice he could muster, the teen said, "Of course, Darling! I mean, look at me! I melt in the rain 'cause I'm made of sugar!"

Before either Superman or Danny could continue the conversation that was quickly going downhill, Batman interjected from the fire-escape outside. Sticking his head through the window, the Dark Knight said, "Danny, stop antagonizing Superman. Superman, let's get going already. We have things to do."

The Man of Steel complied quickly, and Danny tilted his head to the side as he watched. Casually, he commented, "Hm. I always thought Batman would be the boy-toy in your relationship, but I guess it makes sense that he's the dominant partner."

"EXCUSE ME?!"

"Danny, will you _ever _learn to _shut up_?!"

An hour later, the two heroes were back in the Watchtower after 'hauling the felon's ass off to jail,' in Danny's words. Batman left Superman as soon as they were back in the space station without a word, leaving the Man of Steel to watch him walk away with an exasperated look. With a shake of his head, Superman went about his way. He accidentally found Wonder Woman amongst the other heroes, and the woman visibly lighted up when she saw one of her close companions. "Superman! I've been looking for you all over. Where were you?"

With a wary smile, Superman replied, "I was out with Batman. He's been traveling outside of his territory a lot lately, and after some pestering, he introduced me to a contact of his that he's been visiting."

"Oh, I see. How was that?" Wonder Woman asked curiously.

"It could've gone a lot better." Superman confessed, his shoulders slumping as he thought of the mocking tone that seemed to be Danny's default voice and the dark humor constantly ingrained in the teen's smile. "His contact is purposefully obnoxious. He doesn't seem to be very fond of people, and that showed quite a bit when I met him." As soon as it was said, the Man of Steel felt that he had lied a little, unintentional as it had been. And as quickly as this registered, Superman saw Danny's face tilted up towards the Dark Knight, one of his smirks playing on his lips as he said something that was really meant for Superman. Most would only see the snark at the foremost of the smile. The ebony-haired man, though, glimpsed a certain fondness deeply hidden amongst the sass…a fondness a child had for their parent.

"Hm. I wonder if he has anyone in his life that he loves." Wonder Woman commented.

Superman shook his head, a small smile gracing his features. "I just want to know how Batman of all people got in this guy's good graces."


	6. And Vice-Versa

Ch.6: And Vice-Versa

It hadn't exactly been the quietest night in Gotham, so for Batman, the silence he found in the Batmobile was quite the blessing. He'd already stopped three robberies, an uncountable amount of would-be muggings and killings, and had chased Catwoman across a few blocks worth of rooftops for some stupid artifact (again). His night had been quite productive, but the break was very much welcome.

Then the phone rang.

With an exasperated sigh, Batman reached up to tap the talk button, praying that it wasn't someone from the Watchtower calling in with some end-of-the-world crisis going on. "Yes?"

"_Hey Bats? I need help._"

The voice was immediately recognizable, but Batman still did a double-take. The person speaking was unmistakably Danny, but he hardly sounded like himself. The smug, condescending tone that was constantly coating his voice was gone. All that was left was anxiety and 'what-have-I-gotten-myself-into?' It was such a turn from Danny's normal attitude that Batman became immediately worried. Without any time to waste, the Dark Knight asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"_Ok, so, I was walking home from the store, and some guy was robbing a bank- how cliché, right? You've probably already stopped a dozen of those tonight, ha-ha –and I was watching the techies, but they're the epitome of idiots and couldn't even hack into some stupid cameras, so I stepped in to show them how it's done, right? But now everyone's asking me what they should be doing, but I don't know what they should be doing! I'm not a hero! I don't do this shit! That's your job! Where the hell are you? You should the one telling these-_"

"Stop." Batman said, rubbing his temples. Danny complied immediately, falling silent on the other side of the line. Batman recapped what Danny said in his head and asked, "What are you doing right now?"

"_Um… I snagged a laptop, and now I'm hiding under one of the tables they set up…_"

Damn_, _Batman had never heard the teen so frustrated and upset with himself and a situation before. But then, this problem was vastly different from any other problem that occurred daily for the boy. After all, Danny normally associated himself with staging robberies, not stopping them. He was venturing miles outside of his comfort zone, and Danny was quickly losing control of the situation, which was not helping his panic any.

And yet, the teen was not running away from the situation but turning to another source for help. In that moment, Batman had never felt prouder of Danny.

"Do exactly as I say, alright?" Batman said, softening his voice enough to soothe Danny but keeping some of its edge, so the teen would not think of questioning him. The boy hummed his consent, and the Dark Knight continued, "Tell me what you see on the security cameras."

"_Well, right now, the robbers are just standing around like idiots. They've pretty much gathered up what they came for, but why the hell aren't they doing anything? They should be planning a way to get away from the cops! They didn't come here to get arrested, did they? No, I didn't think so. Now do something, dumbasses!_"

"Since the cops haven't already arrested them, I'm assuming the robbers have hostages?" Batman asked. There was a confirmative hum from Danny before the line went quiet, both males racking their brains for ideas. Even the Dark Knight, the Justice Leaguer infamously known for his quick thinking, could not piece together what the robbers were planning on doing. Danny was right; they should have been planning to get away. Why would they just wait around, increasing their chances of the police finding their own ways to bring down the house on them?

On the other end of the line, Batman could just barely hear Danny making all sorts of sounds from sheer nervousness. He was about to say something to soothe the teen when Danny suddenly yelled, "_I'M STUPID!_"

"What?" Batman asked, confused.

The teen's spunk was obviously back. The Dark Knight had no problems hearing it as Danny explained, "_Ok, so, these morons brought their phones with them. I can understand bring a form of communication, but most people would be smart enough to bring burner phones. Not these fools! They got personalized cases and everything, which means I can hack into them, which is what I'm doing right now. I can check their emails, their texts, their Dark-Net accounts if they have them. It just hit me, but they might have an accomplice coming to distract the cops or pick them up. Who knows? Now, let's see here…_" Danny clicked his tongue against his teeth.

Batman grinned at how quickly the teen came up with his plan of action. "Good thinking, Danny."

The clicking went deathly quiet, and for a moment, there were no sounds, which had the Dark Knight worried. However, before Batman had time to ask if something was wrong, Danny's sincere, soft voice mumbled, "…_thanks Bats_…"

"You're welcome."

The small show of affection must've made Danny uncomfortable (though it was obvious he appreciated the gesture), for he quickly dropped the subject. Instead, Danny went back to the problem at hand and cheered, "_HA-HA! They do have Dark-Net users! And wow, this guy goes by Eternal Money… That's really pathetic, even by high-school drop-out henchman standards._"

The name was pathetic, but that was not the point. Batman made sure Danny knew this. The boy blew him off, though, and continued, "_Ok, so, plans, plans, plans, accomplices, anything that could help me out here… Holy shit, this guy's friend is named Gin-Boy. Who on God's green earth would think that name was a good idea? Seriously! We're dealing with dumbasses!_"

"Danny, focus." Batman snapped, rolling his eyes.

"_Sorry! I can't help it. Habits, you know?_" Danny replied, which was basically his way of blowing the Dark Knight off again. "_Ok, let's see here… No, no, no, no, no, God no, no, no, that dumbass, no, no, no- YES! Wait, shit… This is bad._"

"What is it?" Batman asked, keeping his voice purposefully emotionless.

"_I don't know how these dead-beats found a way to afford her, but they hired a really talented mercenary to hold the cops off, so they can get away._"

"Who'd they hire?"

"_Black Thorn._"

* * *

"Black Thorn." Danny answered, dread forming in the pit of his stomach and killing whatever pleasant mood he had been able to obtain over the last few minutes. Out of all the mercenaries that could have been hired that night, Sam had to be the one the robbers could afford. _Shit_. Danny was starting to wish he hadn't called Batman. Oh sure, he'd been a great help, but never in a million years would Danny want either of his best friends on the older man's radar. Unfortunately, now the girl was going to be, and Danny felt guilt beginning to eat at his insides.

Just as he had expected, Batman said, "_I've never heard of her. How talented are we talking about?_"

"If she wanted to be, she could very well be as talented as Deathstroke. Honestly, I'm not surprised she's not that high on the list of mercenaries anyway. BT has never failed a mission, no matter how difficult it was." Danny replied, doing his best to get in contact with his friend with the laptop. It didn't matter how many PMs, texts, or calls the boy sent, though; Sam wasn't picking up for anything, which meant she was currently on the move.

"_Danny, you've got to stop her._" Batman stated seriously.

"_How?_" Danny questioned. "There's no way in hell I could stop her, and besides, I'm not a hero. I don't do this shit. That is _your_ job, _not_ mine. I stage robberies; I help assassin's complete their missions. I _don't_ save people."

"_Then don't be _you_!_" Batman snapped, startling the teen. "_Be Graveyard!_"

"What the fuck are you getting at?"

"_We've been working together for a long time now, Danny, and I've noticed the way you like to act. You're good at it, too. You need to treat this like you would if you were working on the Dark-Net. You don't save people? Fine. In that case, don't be Danny. Don't be Phantom. Don't even acknowledge the fact you know about the Dark-Net. Pretend to be Graveyard, the new, young hero that helped stopped a reckless driver from causing another accident that might have been fatal._"

"That-that wasn't the same thing! It's not like I was doing any of that out of the goodness of my heart!" Danny practically yelled, and he knew he should've kept his voice lower, but what was Batman thinking? He was asking too much.

"_No one gives a damn if you did or not, Danny. All anyone knows and cares about is that you did stop Johnny, and you did help lives that otherwise would've been lost or damaged._" Batman replied, his voice steely. "_Now, you need to get out there and do it again._"

Danny disconnected the call, ripping the Bluetooth from his ear as he sighed raggedly. His shoulders slumped as he wondered what to do. No part of him wanted to screw with Sam or her job- he loved her to death, after all, and Danny had no desire to upset the girl -but there was another part of him that didn't want to let the Dark Knight down either. It had him conflicted, and the teen remembered a time when he would've loved to simply throw something like this back in Batman's face in a way that said, "Ha-ha, you can't change me so easily, you bastard!" Unfortunately, one trip to a fucking cave was about all it took for the teen to start liking the fucker…

(The boy tried convincing himself those feelings weren't his fault. He was an irrational teenager, right? With flying hormones or something like that? With that in mind, it wasn't hard to see why Danny would become attached so quickly when so many others had pushed him away, despite how justified their actions were. After all, Batman never said he couldn't touch anything in the Bat-Cave. He had told Danny not to tamper with anything, and there was a great deal between that and not touching anything at all.)

(Trust. Batman trusted Danny. No one ever trusted Danny. No ever believed in him. He was just that brat no one ever liked, no one except for Sam and Tuck, both of whom loved him unconditionally because they weren't exactly angels themselves.)

For a few minutes, Danny just sat and thought, taking refuge under the police department's table. He kept weighing his options between two people that the teen couldn't weigh more important than the other, and that probably upset him more than anything. On any other day before this, the choice would've been easy. Now it wasn't.

"I can fix this." Danny whispered, looking up, front and center. He didn't see anything in front of him, though. He whispered again, "I can fix this."

Looking around for any sign of life, Danny found none paying attention to him, mostly because he had boxed himself under the table with the police department's white- and cork-boards. With that, Danny called the white ring to his waist, allowing it to drastically change his appearance and his role in life. Green eyes glowing with determination, the teen mumbled one last time, "I can fix this."

Outside, the infamous Black Thorn crossed the street casually. She wore a skintight, black jumpsuit, a bulky belt filled with all sorts of sharp and poisonous objects inside strapped tightly to her waist, but no one looked her way to gawk at her strange appearance. The black mask with pursed lips and green lenses attracted no attention, nor did the katanas strapped across her back. Everyone was too focused on the bank and the officers to notice the dangerous mercenary easily walking up to their exposed backs.

This job was too easy, Black Thorn decided. She was mere feet from the sidewalk, a sore thumb in the middle of a deserted street, but not a single person had glanced back and noticed the imposing figure quickly filing the crowd's way. Too easy, Black Thorn thought, but totally worth a couple of bucks.

However, the mercenary never expected for someone to tap her on the shoulder casually. Black Thorn never expected to see her best friend standing behind, a ruthful grin playing on his lips. She never expected him to say, "Don't kick my ass too bad for this please," and she definitely never expected the ecto-blast that shot into her side, sending her flying down the road.

Graveyard cringed when he saw Black Thorn crash into the pavement and roll, but the girl made no sound at the impact. That gave him hope for her well-being as he turned around, ready to face the ass-kicking he was more-or-less begging for. As the black-haired female began pushing herself up from the ground, Graveyard called, "Sorry 'bout that, honey! Is it possible for us to kiss and make up?"

The teasing call had people turning around, subsequently coming to witness the scene of one glowing teen-boy and an armed female, her black strands breaking free from her carefully sculpted bun. The two faced off, one with a teasing smirk and the other with an angry yell of, "What _the hell_ are _you_ doing here?!"

The scene wasn't very strange, not in today's world, but it was certainly terrifying. And it wasn't because it meant there was a fight about to go down, either. Everyone was frightened because it was impossible to tell who was the hero and who was the plunderer.

Graveyard shifted nervously for a moment- this was his badass best friend, after all –and replied, "I'll have to get back to you on that question. I'm not entirely sure myself, sweetheart."

"You son of a bitch, I'm killing you." Black Thorn promised, her fists clenching tightly before she raced forward, closing the distance quickly. Graveyard hadn't thrown her very far, and as Black Thorn tried to swing one of her fists at his face, he sort of wished he'd been a little more brutal. The white-haired, hooded teen barely managed to duck away from it before righting himself, only to catch a steel-toed boot aimed at his face. Black Thorn ripped her ankle from the boy's grip, sending him reeling for a moment. She tried to connect her fist to his face again, but Graveyard managed to catch that too. Fine with her. It gave Black Thorn a chance to lowly hiss a bewildered, "What _the hell_ are you _doing_?!"

The white-haired tried to twist and flip his friend over his shoulder. Black Thorn half-expected such a move, though, and landed on her feet. She then turned the tables, flipping Graveyard efficiently over her shoulder. The boy landed roughly on his back, stealing the breath from his lungs. Black Thorn took the opportunity to pull him up in a tight headlock. With their faces so close, Graveyard took the chance to whisper back, "When I figure that out myself, I'll get back to you."

The female mercenary irritably kicked her friend's back roughly, and Graveyard began falling forward quickly. He barely managed to duck his head, allowing him to fall into a forward roll. Within seconds, he was up and blocking a roundhouse kick that would've undoubtedly ripped his head clean from his shoulders. With his hand around her ankle, Graveyard yanked Black Thorn over, trapping her arms against his chest in a weird, half-dance-move-half-hug sort of position. The teen boy whispered, "Look, terms and conditions of Dark-Net contracts state outside forces, such as myself, cannot be used as an excuse to withhold pay if party A doesn't fulfill the complete agreement. So if they withhold pay, kick their asses, and I'll help you track down what's yours. Capiche?"

Black Thorn huffed behind her mask, and it almost looked like the glare of the green lenses softened the slightest bit. She mumbled, "I don't understand why I love a bastard like you."

The teen boy cackled, a sound everyone could hear as he slackened his grip the slightest bit, allowing Black Thorn to squirm one of her arms from its place trapped against his chest. The girl, quick as lightning, slammed the palm of her hand into Graveyard's nose, sending him reeling backwards again. A sticky, green substance leaked from between his fingers, running down his face and dripping from his chin. For once, the boy was truly agitated as yelled, "The _fuck_ is _wrong_ with you, bitch?! Holy _hell_, that hurts!"

Snickering to herself, Black Thorn casually shook off the slight ache in her palm. She sweetly called, "It's called payback, fucker. I'd love to stay longer and go another round, but unfortunately, I have places to be and money to collect. I'll take a rain-check, though." With that, the female fished something from her pocket as the cops, having captured the bank-robbers as they attempted to flee, came running from the direction of the bank. Black Thorn threw some balls against the ground, releasing a large cloud of gas. It dispersed quickly, but there was no sign of the girl once it had disappeared.

Sighing to himself, Graveyard grimaced at the green goo dripping steadily down his face. He didn't think his friend had smashed his nose hard enough to break- she had been a little considerate before she did it –but there was no way to tell. It was not a big deal, though. He healed rather quickly, and the pain would go away soon enough. All he really had to worry about was stopping the bleeding from getting _all over him_. He really liked this outfit, after all.

Breathing through his mouth, the teen boy glanced towards the crowd that had spread out, probably in fear of the fight making its way over to them or a stray anything hitting them. There were officers standing alongside the road, some standing on the pavement, but one thing was for sure. Everyone was looking at Graveyard, their expressions mixed with uncertainty and hope as the hooded figure held his hand to his bleeding appendage. The first emotion was something Graveyard could understand, but not…not the second. That was something he didn't know how to handle.

Without a word, Graveyard turned invisible, sending startled gasps throughout the crowd. The boy didn't stick around, flying back to the alley he had hidden his groceries (paid with Vandal Savage's money!) in and grabbing them quickly. Without any more incentive, Graveyard booked it back to his apartment, streaking across the sky but not seen by anyone.

As soon as he was back in his apartment, the teen let the white ring wash over him again. Danny quickly put things away after ripping a paper towel from the roll and pressing it to his still bleeding nose. He cursed his best friend the entire time, asking himself over and over again why she had to go for the nose. He paused once to spit out some of the blood that had gushed into his mouth, but Danny quickly went back to cursing and swearing soon after.

Collapsing in his favorite chair, the teen relaxed, pulling the paper-towel away for a moment to see how bad the bleeding still was. Fortunately, it had slowed considerably, and within a few minutes, it would be finished. Danny breathed a happy sigh at that. Leaning back in his chair, the teen decided to just chill out for a little while. He totally deserved-

_BR-RING, BR-RING. BR-RING, BR-RING._

Well… Danny could go screw that idea.

With a moan, the teen took the Bluetooth from his pocket, stuck it in his ear, and accepted the video-call. Exasperated, the teen snapped, "_What?_"

"I'm glad to see that you're back to normal. The last time we talked, you were on the verge of a mental collapse." Batman replied, a small smirk on his face. The teen noticed he was, for once, leaning back in a chair, one ankle resting on his adjacent knee. He was completely relaxed, which was quite abnormal for the older hero.

Still, this didn't shock Danny out of his tired and irritated stupor. He glared back and said, "Oh, well, I'm so glad my psychological well-being is high on your list of priorities."

"Of course. Arkham is crowded enough as it is. The doctors don't need any more patients, you see." Batman emotionlessly responded, and yet, somehow, Danny could still hear some the teasing note hidden amongst his voice. It was quite aggravating how the Dark Knight was able to do that, but Danny still clapped, hoping it was the slightest bit degrading for the Caped Crusader. If it was, Batman didn't show it as he asked, "So, were you capable of stopping Black Thorn?"

"Nope. She got away, but to my knowledge, all of the robbers were caught and none of the hostages were seriously injured. Or, at least, I didn't hear anybody get shot, so, you know, I'm assuming things here." Danny stated, shooting a dark smile in the Dark Knight's direction. The teen held up his bloody paper-towel and said, "You should be happy that this is all BT did to me. If she wanted, the bitch could've killed me."

Nah, she wouldn't. Sam wouldn't kill anyone. Oh, she'd totally maim and beat someone within an inch of their life, but she had not crossed the killing line and did not plan to, either. Still, Danny was lucky his friend hadn't decided to hurt him worse, and she could've, if she wanted to.

"From what I heard from on the radio, you did a good job holding her off. Everyone was very impressed. The people of Las Vegas are interested in who their new hero is." Batman stated.

Danny snorted, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well, don't expect Graveyard to keep making appearances. It doesn't matter what you say, but getting out there and jumping into the action is really not my style. I like being behind my computer screens, where I won't get bloody noses if I piss someone off."

If Batman was disappointed in this statement, he didn't show it. He merely nodded and said, "Just know that you did a good job tonight, Danny."

The teen hid it well, but he bristled with happiness. Danny would be lying if he said the simple praise didn't make him feel good about himself. Hell, the boy felt like flying to the moon and back. However, a memory of playing Doomed with Sam had him feeling even guiltier about butting in on the girl's mission. It ate at him as he debated getting up and dancing.

The teen didn't say anything for awhile, and Batman almost asked him if he was alright. Danny ended the call quickly, though, stopping the older hero before he could start. The boy turned around in his chair, his hands over his face as he said, "Oh yes, I'm such a wonderful person! I screw with my friends, even though they've been nothing but good to me! Yeah, I'm a frikkin angel." Still, the smile on Danny's face wouldn't abate.

The strong, conflicting emotions continued to war, but Danny was in no mood to sort them out. Instead, the teen turned to his flashing holograms and began working, taking his mind off of his dilemma quickly. He promised himself he would deal with it later, but every part of him knew such a promise was empty. There would be no 'dealing with it later.' There would just be the Dark-Net, distracting and all-consuming.

It was a good thirty to forty-five minutes before Sam finally called Danny on his cell-phone, though the speaker's voice came through the teen's Bluetooth. As soon as the teen picked up the call, the boy could hear the girl's heavier than normal breathing, though others wouldn't be able to pick up such a slight sound from the girl. Casually, Danny said, "I'm assuming you didn't get your cut."

"_Yup._ _I've already taken care of their well-deserved karma. I'm sure they're already being shipped to the nearest hospital for genital injuries, but I need help with the hacking bit that comes in the screw-them-over plan. Can you walk me through the process?_" Sam asked, sounding very relaxed and unconcerned on her end.

A dark, amused smile twitched on the corners of Danny's lips. "Yeah. Here's what you need to do…"


	7. Ghosties

Ch.7: Ghosties

After hanging up on some Pentagon worker (or was that the guy from the Health Department? …shit), Danny irritably munched on a bowl of Lucky Charms, cursing the idiot between bites. He didn't understand how someone that worked for the government could be so bloody clueless. But then, it seemed everyone these days was oblivious. Oh sure, there were definitely people who weren't, but those people usually ended up getting in Danny's way. There was no medium, and that was probably the most frustrating thing in the world. Just the thought of such a thing had Danny bristling, chewing harder on his cereal than was needed.

Unfortunately, the bowl of cereal was gone soon enough. Danny sighed at his loss, downed the remaining milk, and set the bowl off to the side to deal with later. Looking back towards his beloved holograms, Danny set to work again, shoulders slumping in boredom and tiredness. There was nothing interesting going on over the net, no over-the-top schemes being planned, but Danny didn't have the mind to take the chance to sleep off the past couple of days. Instead, he continued to look and scan through all of his members' records, searching for something that wasn't going to come to him anytime soon.

The teen wished all the devious schemers and dreamers would hurry up and bombard his program with crazy plans and too-illegal-even-for-the-most-hardened-criminal merchandise already. Large waves of criminals did that anytime the Dark-Net became even the slightest bit quiet. Danny was going to regret desiring such a thing later, but the boy never worried about the future, always wishing for his present to be filled with as much wonder and magic as it could.

The present only remained unfortunate, however. It didn't matter how deep and dark the teen looked; there was nothing exciting to be found. Danny leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up as he sighed again. Not even his angry music was making him feel particularly happy today. The teen was simply neutral, and that had the boy lost. What was he to do with himself when there was nothing to destroy and plunder?

(Being a normal teenager and doing something low-key like watching Netflix did not occur to Danny, the dumbass.)

More time passed; more of nothing continued to flash across the screens. Grasping at straws, Danny turned to the right, where his least favorite hologram was blinking with incoming information that should have been interesting but wasn't. With a couple clicks on his keyboard, the teen turned the chat-room monitoring system into a world map, green splashes dotted in meticulous spots. The sight had Danny sighing again.

The world was the teen's ectoplasmic monitor. As its name implied, it monitored the world's ectoplasm levels. There weren't too many places where heavy ecto-activity ran free, but as any knowledgeable person would've noticed, the green signaling large amounts of activity were historical sites many people talked of having lots of supernatural happenings, places like the Bermuda Triangle and New Orleans. What Danny had learned in the Ghost Zone was that said places had strong pulls to the other dimension, occasionally opening unstable portals no one liked to venture inside of. There had been too many accounts of both humans and ghosts disappearing through portals and never being heard from again. There were even reports of other ghosts and humans coming through said portals, claiming to be from different time eras. Thus, it was a universal rule that no one should enter natural portals.

Of course, if you wanted to disappear forever, then go right ahead. No one was stopping you.

It was strange, though. Considering the phenomena, Danny would've thought someone would have conducted some sort of scientific investigation on natural portals. But nope, everyone Danny had ever talked to had been just as clueless as he, and those who seemed as if they might've had some idea wouldn't share their thoughts. Danny himself would've looked into it, but doing such a thing required knowledge and experience and a drive to help humanity even a little bit… As most people knew, he had none of those things!

Besides, it didn't sound like much fun anyway. But you know what did sound fun? Plundering and destroying! Hell yeah!

Unfortunately (oh, why was everything so unfortunate at the moment?), there was nothing to plunder and destroy within Danny's reach for the moment, leaving him to groan and slam his head against the desk as the world map continued to laugh at him. (It really wasn't laughing, Danny knew- after all, maps didn't laugh; only crazy people said crazy things like that –but it sure _felt_ like it was laughing at him!)

For a while, all Danny could do to distract himself was spin his chair around and around and around, forever and ever and ever. It was boring, but it was so much less heartbreaking than watching his beloved deep-web program do _nothing at all_. However, a few hours after eating his Lucky Charms and checking his world map for ectoplasm spikes, things began to pick up pace. Felons of all kinds suddenly rushed to buy things from the black market, market people's services (both willing and unwilling participants alike), and set themselves up as supposedly adequate henchmen for future gangs and super villains. It was all so extraordinary! Danny had never felt so alive, shooting people down and scaring the criminal underworld pants-less! Ha-ha, there was no stopping the great and mighty Phantom! Ha-ha-ha-ha!

_Shit_, Danny was laughing manically again from excitement. How was that supposed to help his intimidating mythos? It couldn't. Gosh, that was so not cool…

As the teen got back into the drift of things, adrenaline and excitement keeping his attention completely locked on his laptop, Danny missed the green dots shifting on his world map. The normal spots were starting to grow the slightest bit larger, and new green dots were beginning to form in areas they had not previously been. It wasn't a drastic change, but the small shifts should've been enough to set off warning bells.

Danny finally noticed the new and growing dots some hours later, but even though it should've been, the teen didn't find it all that concerning. He reasoned with himself that it was just a random spike; it happened occasionally. Really, it did. Just because ectoplasm was starting to manifest stronger than before didn't mean he should freak out. The levels would stabilize in a couple hours by itself. No sweat.

As morning sunlight began filtering through the windows, Danny duct-taped his shades shut and noticed that the ectoplasmic radar wasn't recognizing anymore obvious spikes in activity. However, the earlier spike had yet to drop back to its previous levels. Instead of looking into it, though, Danny continued to blow it off, chalk it up to nothing. The world could fix itself, after all. There was no reason for him to step in. Maybe the universe was just having a bad day. Everyone had those.

Towards the middle of the day, Danny called Tucker to warn him about a more-suspicious-than-usual character taking an interest in his services. However, it turned into a conversation about Danny's brief brawl with Sam some nights before. Danny explained as much of it as he felt like, never really going into full detail, and Tucker never caught onto the half-truths. The two didn't stay on the subject for long, though, and decided to play one of their favorite video-games for awhile before they decided to get back to work. They hung up, feeling content.

By nightfall, though, it was obvious that the world wasn't in the mood to take care of itself. Over the course of the day, the green dots had continued to appear, had continued to stretch its reach across the map. Ectoplasmic energy was spawning and spawning and wasn't slowing down any at all. Danny watched it, too stunned to do anything as he sat bewildered in his chair. The boy tried to think up something helpful, but he just kept drawing blanks instead.

This was _bad_. This was undoubtedly going to draw attention from ghosts, and ghosts didn't need to be in the human realm for any reason. They needed to stay tucked away in the Ghost Zone, and humans needed to stay safely tucked in their dimension. Mixing the living and dead never ended well. As one of Danny's beloved mentors had told him, ghosts had superiority complexes but humans didn't take too kindly to being pushed around. Not a good equation, huh? (Said equation usually left Danny wondering how his half-ghost status was even possible, but eh, now was not really the time to ponder his existence. Maybe later, though.)

Eventually, the glaring fact that _something_ needed to be done hit Danny like a sack of bricks dropped from the Empire State Building. The boy leapt into action, looking through the things on his desk before finding some keys. He snatched them up and immediately left his apartment, not even bothering to lock his precious home behind him in his haste to get to the elevator. As he pressed the down arrow and waited for the doors to open, Danny called Batman, his foot bobbing in anticipation. The elevator doors opened within a few seconds, and the teen quickly hopped inside, sticking the key into a slot and pressing the basement button. The doors closed, and Danny began to descend. The ringing in his ear stopped, and Batman's breathless voice asked, "_Yes?_"

"Hey Bats, we've got a growing paranormal problem on our hands." Danny answered, again tapping his foot impatiently against the ground. The teen looked to the roof, searching for something to occupy himself, and continued, "I should've called it in earlier, but normally, these things fix themselves. This time, the universe decided to say 'screw you' to the rest of us."

It sounded as if the Dark Knight snorted, but Danny couldn't say for sure if he had heard correctly or not. "_I've noticed. I've been trying to stop some ghosts all day, but I haven't exactly been getting anywhere with that, as you have probably guessed. Now would be a good time to suggest some ideas to get rid of them, if you don't mind._"

"Getting rid of them is the least of your problems. I already have that taken care of. However, keeping them gone is going to be the biggest issue. I can take care of it, but it's going to take awhile." Danny replied, rubbing his sore eyes. He hadn't even done anything yet, and he was already tired. The boy mumbled, "I should've gone to bed instead of playing Doomed with Sam yesterday…"

"_What was that?_"

"Nothing of importance. Ok, look, you're not going to like this, but I need you to come over to my place as quick as you can. Staying in Gotham isn't going to get you anywhere, and for right now, I'm looking out for your best interest. I have weapons and other tools you and the rest of the JL can use since there's nothing any of you can do that will affect ghosts. I'll need a way to dispense them, though. You have any ideas on that?" Danny asked, strolling out of the elevator doors as they opened. The teen paused just outside them, feeling along the wall for the light-switch. At the moment, all that was in front of him was darkness.

"_I have a couple._" Batman replied. "_Can you be ready to transport everything in a few minutes?_"

Danny narrowed his eyes at the question, his hand pausing along the concrete wall. Slowly, he responded, "Yeah-h-h… That's doable. But you're hours away; how are you supposed to get here in a few minutes? Please tell me you're not sending someone to pick me up…"

"_I'm not, but don't worry about it right now. Just gather up the materials that we're going to need. We need to get the situation under control quickly._" Batman said seriously.

The black-haired boy nodded, even if it was a useless action. His fingers finally found the light-switch and flipped it on. The florescent light-bulbs began flickering to life, lighting up the dark space. "Yeah, ok. When you get over here, I'm in the complex's basement. I guess I'll see you in a few minutes?"

Batman grunted and hung up. Danny began walking down the line of cages used for storage, the chain link fences cold and still and the locks rusty. Objects of various assortment resided inside each space, trapped and desolate. Danny paid most of the cages no mind, jingling his keys in his hands and breaking the silence like a thunderclap on a clear night. Near the back, he stopped in front of one of cages, but there should've been no reason for him to do so. The space was empty, not an object in sight. Still, Danny inserted his key, turned the lock, and opened the door.

Inside the space was a-whole-nother story compared to what the outside said. The cage was cramped with a single table pushed into the back. On top, there was a single, dusty laptop resting on one side. On the other, the table was cluttered with unfinished products that most wouldn't know what to do with. Underneath the table, there were three cardboard boxes all filled close to the brim with completed, working equipment. Two of the boxes were filled with two different models of guns, and the other was filled with strange bracelets.

It took two steps to close the distance between the door and the table. Danny picked up an unfinished bracelet lying on top of the table, fixed some of its wiring with ease, and then firmly fixed a small plate over the exposed compartment. Danny tossed it into the box filled with identical pieces of machinery before beginning to drag them out and stacking them up gently. Turning to the table, he rustled through some of his notes before finding a box under them. He threw that in a box with everything else before proceeding to throw a pair of gloves in after the other object.

With everything he deemed important in line, Danny called the white rings to his waist, hating himself for having to access his alter-ego for a third time in such a short amount of time. He hadn't used Graveyard in years, but then, he had never had a reason to. Everything he needed to take care of could be done from behind the safety of his computers and his disguise generator. Why did Batman have to go and take that from him?

(Better question: why did Danny keep letting him? Was he really becoming so attached he would rather overlook such aggravations to avoid the man's disappointment?)

The transformation came to an end soon, and Graveyard left the cage, walking some feet to the cement-block wall just down the rest of the hall. He wasted no time, feeling along the walls until his fingers met one block that seemed to be out of line with the others. It stuck out some, but not so much that it was visibly noticeable. Graveyard grasped the edges as much as he could and began sliding the block out. It took a few minutes and careful fingers, but the boy eventually managed to get it out. Despite the heavy weight that threatened to rip the block from Graveyard's arms, he still managed to place it gently on the ground, preventing it from shattering into separate pieces that would never fit back into the exact shape again.

Graveyard took a deep breath just after he set the block down. He had held his breath the entire time he had held it, terrified that he would mess up. However, the worst part was over, and the teen boy looked inside the hole he had made for the prize he had hidden inside on the first day he had moved into his apartment upstairs.

If it had been anyone else, they would have been shocked and confused by what they saw. Someone had removed an entire cinderblock to hide a black needle, a spool of green thread, and a green-edged razor? Why would anyone go through the trouble to hide such trivial things? Graveyard, however, saw the tools for what they were and removed the spool pin and razor first. He unwound some of the green thread, revealing it to be sticky in his hands. When he had unrolled the length desired, Graveyard quickly cut it when the razor. He used the thin but sturdy thread to tie the spool to his belt and slipped the razor into his pocket. Graveyard then extracted the needle, threaded it, and left it dangling from his belt.

Suited up and ready for the coming hours of work, Graveyard slipped the cement block back into its spot and turned around, just as the elevator on the other side of the room let out an unusually loud _ding_. The doors slowly slid open, revealing the Dark Knight in his glory as he stepped out, heading over to where he could see Graveyard waiting for him. The white-haired teen waved him into his storage space, and Batman followed behind him briskly. As soon as he saw what was being hidden inside the walls, he irritably asked, "What else don't I know about?"

It was hardly the time, but Graveyard shot a nasty grin at his supervisor. It didn't help his already tarnished image any, and he made it worse by cackling lowly and saying, "You don't want me answering that question. Trust me."

Batman sighed before picking up two of the stacked boxes. Graveyard picked up the last one. The Dark Knight gestured for the teen to be still, and the boy opened his mouth to ask why. Fortunately, his question was answered before it could even be uttered, the two becoming overcome with white light. It lasted only a few seconds before it washed away, revealing the two to be in a whole new environment. It was obvious just by looking around that it was some sort of base, and Graveyard came to the conclusion it was the Justice League's, as there were a few heroes actively buzzing around. Martian Manhunter stood in front of a control panel near the pad the teen and his supervisor stood on, and Graveyard assumed it controlled the teleporting device that had gotten them to their current location.

The white-haired boy snickered excitedly as he looked around, hardly minding the slight nausea in his gut from the ride. He commented, "This is so cool."

The Dark Knight gestured for Danny to follow him, and they journeyed quickly to what appeared to be the main hall of the base. Whatever heroes were around looked their way, but no one made a move to ask Batman who the new kid was. The two passed, coming up to a large computer multiple people could probably use at the same time. They dropped the boxes on the ground. Graveyard guarded them as Batman called all heroes for an emergency meeting. Many protested, out in the field and trying to neutralize the ghosts taking the world by storm, but the Dark Knight snapped at them to get back to the Watchtower.

Within minutes, the entirety of the Justice League crowded the main hall, standing amongst each other in a one giant mass. People were still coming through the teleporter, but Batman must have believed that they didn't have the time, for as soon as the majority of the League was in the room, he said, "As everyone knows, new super-powered beings have recently begun taking the world by storm. I'm sure it's been noticed that stopping them by normal means is relatively impossible. With that in mind, I've called in an associate to help us fix what's been broken. Graveyard?"

The teen took center stage without any hesitation. His voice held its normal condescending tone, but it was strong, keeping everyone in silence. "Ok, so long story short, what we're dealing with is a ghost invasion. It's kind of like an alien invasion but with ghosts. See how that works? Oh, also, don't go spouting some bullshit about how ghosts aren't real because that'd be insulting my existence. I'm half-ghost." Graveyard opened up before suddenly looking to where Batman was standing off to the side, looking quite pissed. The young teen smirked at him. "Oh right, that's one of the things I 'forgot' to mention. It's amazing the small details that will slip my mind… Can you spank me later, though? Now's kind of not the time."

Batman was eerily silent as Graveyard turned back to the crowd. The tension in the air could have been cut a pair of safety scissors. Someone awkwardly coughed in the very back of the crowd, and unsurprisingly, the only one who wasn't the slightest bit embarrassed was Graveyard. He merely mumbled, "Someone woke up with their period today," before bringing his attention back to focus. "Ghosts are mostly composed of ectoplasm. I would explain why you can't fight beings made from ectoplasm but I'm not, mostly because, frankly, I don't understand the majority of it myself. What I've been told is that it works on another level or plane of existence, or something along those lines. The only thing that can combat ectoplasm besides ectoplasm itself is magic, so if you're a magic-wielder of some sort, get out of here. You're immune. You don't need to be here."

There were a few people who disconnected from the large group and rushed away, heading for the teleporter. Graveyard absently waved after them as he addressed the majority of the League that was left behind. "Fortunately for all of you, I'm a fucking genius. I brought equipment that's gonna help all of you send some ghosties back home. With that said, I promise by the end of this expo that you're all find new ways to hate me more than I'm sure you already do.

"Now this," Graveyard said, holding up one of the silver bracelets for everyone to see. "is going to be a pain in every meta's ass. Humans with no powers whatsoever, you get a free pass this time. What this does is inject ectoplasm into your bodies, so your powers will be able to work on all the ghosties. The ectoplasm itself will disperse rather quickly, so this little bracelet is going to administer small doses until it finally runs out of doses. We should be finished cleaning up the invasion by then, so I wouldn't worry about it running out too much.

"Unfortunately for you unlucky bastards, ectoplasm does have some side-effects. I tested this on my friend, and she said it made her a little bit sick to her stomach while it was on. The bracelet also let a lovely bruise since it's very tight and has needles. However, that's the price of beauty, fellas. Suck it up, buttercups." Graveyard snapped before tossing the bracelet back into its respected box. He then dug out the smaller of the two guns he had. The boy held that up, as well. "Everyone will get one of these. Basically, all you do is shoot a ghost, and it will send them back home. I recommend not shooting your teammates; you might not see them again if you do." That went back into the box, and the other ray gun was pulled out. "For you lucky bastards without super-powers, happy birthday. This is your new best friend out in the field. Its essence is that of a stun-gun for ghosts. Don't try to play king of the hill with it; the ghosts will kick your ass, but it works well for distractions and defensive attacks." Graveyard tossed it back into its box. "Both of the guns are very simple to operate. Just aim and pull the trigger. If this concept is too hard for you to comprehend, we'll do a demo where you're the target."

(In other words, don't ask him any questions pertaining to the operation of the equipment.)

With the equipment out of the way, Graveyard grabbed the gloves from one of the boxes, slipping them on quickly. He then pulled out the small box from before and opened it, pulling out a green rock. The teen rolled his eyes at the low wave of gasps he heard ripple through some of the crowd. Turning back to his audience, Graveyard said, "If there was time for it, I would make all of you my bitches by claiming this is actually kryptonite, but since time is of the essence, I'm just going to come right out and say this is not kryptonite. It's ectoranium; this harms me, not Kyrptonians. With that said, I better not see any Supers dropping unconscious." Graveyard breathed deeply, ignoring the murmurs of the heroes as he continued, "This can be dusted on any of your weapons. It's really sticky, so it'll stay on for a long time, and it won't cause any of your arsenal to deteriorate. Just be mindful of what ghosts you hit with it. Some ghosts just want to go home, and ectoranium hurts like a bitch. So if you find you have to use it, use it on the bad guys, ok? Great. Now, Big Blue Buffon, come here, so I can show you guys how to get the bracelets on."

There was one last expo, where Graveyard swiftly showed the crowd how to properly get the bracelets on their wrist. It was rather easy. All they had to do was press a green button on the side that would cause the bracelet to half-dismantle itself while keeping its general shape. Then all the heroes had to do was slip it carefully on their wrists, mindful of the newly exposed needles. After, they just had to push it closed, which pinched their skin. A lot of them were perturbed by the sickly feeling they got as the first dose was injected, but Graveyard told them to suck it up again. Afterwards, the various ray guns were dispersed, people readied their arsenals, and then they were off. Batman and Graveyard were last in line for everything, as they had decided to supervise. The crowd of Leaguers grew smaller and smaller until it was just the two and a few other slowpokes.

Graveyard had snagged one of the bracelets for himself at the beginning of the lecture, and now that the majority of people were taken care and gone, he slipped it out of his back pocket. He stared down at it for a moment before pressing the little green button, slipping it on and closing it tightly over his wrist. He flinched at the pinching of his skin. However, the big punch to the gut was the cold feeling that swept through his arm, practically numbing his entire forearm but dialing back the farther it got from the origin point. However, there wasn't one place in his body that Graveyard didn't feel cool, and it was uncomfortable. He promised himself that he wouldn't notice in a little while, even though he didn't know if that was fact or not.

"Why are you bothering to put that on? I thought you were half-ghost."

The white-haired teen's head snapped to the emotionless Dark Knight, and Batman wouldn't be lying if he said that he hadn't been startled. Under his hood, Graveyard's toxic eyes were glowing brighter, and the aura that had practically been nonexistent under the florescent lights was pulsating. It was a drastic change, but Graveyard seemed unaware of it. He merely shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I haven't really used my powers in years, especially not in a high scales like this is going to call for. This is just giving me a boost."

Batman nodded before patiently asking, "How do we plan on closing the portals?"

"Let me take care of it. There's only one safe way, and unfortunately, it requires one-of-a-kind tools." Graveyard responded, patting the spool pin dangling from his belt. "Just make sure we get most of the ghosties back home. I really don't want to be dealing with them for the next couple of years."

The Dark Knight nodded. "We'll do our best. Be careful out there, understand?"

Graveyard saluted. Batman handed him a comm., telling him to keep in touch with everyone. The boy said he would and watched as the Dark Knight hurried to the teleporters, following the very last hero out into the field. It left Graveyard all alone in the Watchtower, and as much as he would've loved to explore the place, there really wasn't any time for it. However, that didn't stop him from pulling out his phone and dialing some numbers as he fixed his personal Bluetooth in his ear. The boy meandered towards the teleporter as he listened to the ringing. Eventually, his call was accepted.

"_Whaz up?_"

"_How's my favorite boy-toy?_"

"It's going great, guys. Thanks for asking." Graveyard responded, rolling his eyes. "Unfortunately, I didn't call to catch up on your shenanigans. I called to ask a favor of you guys. I'm sure you all have noticed the massive ghost invasion going on from your safely tucked away bunkers?"

"_Oh Danny, who _has_ missed it?_" Sam teasingly asked. Tucker said, "_I'm assuming you want the two of us to get out there and help get the ghosts back into the Ghost Zone?_"

"You would be right on point, my good friend. Tuck, you can take that battle armor we built last summer out for a spin. I'm sure it needs it." Graveyard commented.

"_It does, and I guess this would be a good time to test out some of the mechanisms._" Tucker replied. Even though there was hesitance in his voice, there was also trust in his friend, which always won out in the end, even if it got him into some stupid shit. Danny always had his back, after all.

Graveyard began grinning. "And Sam, don't you have that suit you love to kick my ass in because it was specifically designed for kicking my ass?"

"_I'm already putting it on._"

"Wonderful." The white-haired boy said, starting up the teleporter. He rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them up in vain. That didn't deter his grin any, though. "My favorite techno geek, you can start sending the ghosties back in Las Vegas. I'll meet you there. My only girl-toy, once I'm done with Las Vegas, wanna meet me in Reno?"

"_I'm sure the two of us will have a blast._"

"_I'll see you in Vegas, D._"

"Roger. See you guys in a little while. Grave, out." Graveyard said before finally allowing himself to step into the teleporter, plugging the Justice League comm. in his ear. The bright light washed over him again, and in the next second, he was back in his familiar city. It wasn't in the chaos he had imagined it would be- there was only one ghost that he could see as of the moment –but he imagined it was worse in other areas.

It was tempting to go after the ghost, but Graveyard knew he had bigger fish to fry, such as closing the portals, and there were _a lot_ of ghost portals. The teen turned in all directions, looking for the first ghost portal in a line of many. From his vantage point, he could see none, but after some flying around the city, he finally found it hovering over a deserted road. Without any prompting, Graveyard steered himself in its direction. Just as he closed in on it, another ghost chose that time to pop out of it and look around, confusion written all over its face. By the state of his clothes, Graveyard guessed that he was from very far in the past.

Graveyard was the first person the other ghost saw. He quickly whipped out the sword sheathed at his hip, pointing the tip at the advancing teen. The man looked the boy up and down, not recognizing his state of dress and rather disliking his style as well. The ghost inquired, "Who are you?! Where am I?!" His voice was heavy with an accent that Graveyard could not place.

A smirk on his face, the teen jokingly replied, "Your worst nightmare."

The tease went right over the other ghost's head, and he gazed at Graveyard with a confused expression. Graveyard rolled his eyes, his hands lighting up green. "Ah, don't worry about it, dude. By tomorrow, all of this is going to be a bad dream." The teen shot a green ray of energy at the ghost, the force of the impact sending the ghost flying back into the portal he had come from. Graveyard flew up to it quickly, grappling for the black needle at his side. His fingers firmly wrapped around it and yanked, causing the spool-pin to roll, the thread unwinding.

The interesting thing about natural portals was that they were sometimes temporary and other times permanent. More permanent portals were hidden in hidden alcoves or, more prominently, the Bermuda Triangle. Unfortunately, as Graveyard had been taught, ghost portals had little 'malfunctions' sometimes. They would suddenly spawn everywhere, and while the majority of them weren't permanent, they tended to stick around for a much longer time than other temporary portals. Such a situation had not happened for thousands of years, but the last time it had happened, the ghosts that had come through had ravaged the earth quite a bit. To prevent such things from happening again, a very special ghost had obtained a few items that would be capable of stopping another incident when it happened again. Or, at least, that's what Graveyard's mentor at the time had told him before giving him the objects to hold onto. The boy had no reason to not believe him, though; after all, said mentor was as old as time itself and had been the one to obtain the items he had taught Danny about.

The boy could not, for the life of him, remember what the names of the tools were, even if his mentor had made a point to tell him. However, he did remember they had stupid names, which was probably why he had forgotten them in the first place. However, their names were not nearly as important as what they were capable of doing.

As Graveyard's mentor had explained, the tools had been created as a backup plan in case the entire universe decided to break and shatter. The spool-pin, thread, and needle were all literally made of the stuff of the whole universe and were capable of repairing what had been damaged. The razor, on the other hand, was literally made of _nothing_. Why? Because only _nothing_ was capable of stopping an entire universe. (Graveyard still wasn't entirely too sure how that worked, but hey, whatever fixed a problem didn't need explaining in his book.)

Now, Graveyard counted on the items' powers to help him stop another ghost invasion. The boy jabbed the needle into the edge of the portal, watching in amazement as the green thread erupted into a brilliant barrage of colors, changing and shining as the thread came into contact with the rift in the universe. Graveyard pulled it through to the other side and began crisscrossing the thread over the swirling opening. His stitch job was messy and uneven, but considering the brilliant colors the thread had erupted into to tell him it was working, Graveyard guessed he wasn't doing a too shitty job.

The teen jumped when he heard the sound of a scream behind him, but it wasn't enough to make him turn away from his job. He was only worried for a second, anyway; a familiar voice made a quip behind him, causing an easy smile to overcome Graveyard's face.

Finishing up the rift quickly, Graveyard sliced the thread from the needle. As soon as the thread was disconnected from the needle, it melted along the rift of the portal, closing and disappearing until it was no more. Graveyard nodded to himself before turning around, just in time to see an android blast the ghost Graveyard had seen when he landed in Vegas. Another portal opened up on the ghost's chest, drawing him in as he screamed and abruptly closing behind him. The half-ghost teen grinned savagely as he studied the robot. It was pretty basic by most standards, really only having a humanoid figure and glowing, red eyes. It's only distinctive marks were the green plating on the shoulders, elbows, and kneecaps. However, it had been built with simplicity in mind.

"Thanks for the save, dude." Graveyard called, his eyes still brightly glowing under his hood. The robot turned its head towards the speaker. Graveyard said, "That thing is still as beautiful as the last time I saw it. Are you in there, buddy, or are you using the RC feature we built into it?"

If it could, the robot would undoubtedly be smiling as an auto-tuned voice gleefully replied, "Totally using RC, Grave. This is the first time it's being used in the field. I don't wanna be in this tin-can if it suddenly explodes."

Graveyard pouted and clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "That's too bad."

"Shut your damn mouth."

The half-ghost teen barked a loud laugh and shook his head. Still grinning, Graveyard asked, "So what have you decided to name this thing anyway?"

The auto-tune was replaced with an electronic recording that said in a deep, menacing voice, "Droid."

Graveyard laughed again, facepalming as Tucker used the microphone to complain about his ability to laugh at everything. The white-haired teen waved his friend off, saying, "Sorry, sorry. It's just… You only changed the last two letters of your other alias. The names are so similar. That'd be like me going around, calling myself Danny Phantom or something!" Graveyard laughed again.

If anybody else had been present, they would've been able to feel the eye roll from the one controlling the robot. Droid sarcastically asked, "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"You know the answer to that." Graveyard replied, lifting himself farther into the air. He gave the other male a salute as he readied himself to blast off in the direction of Reno. "Call me if you need anything, though. I'll be right there to save your ass, once again." The teen rocketed off before Droid could retaliate and say that if anyone was saving anyone's ass, he would be saving Graveyard's. Which was probably true, but the white-haired boy would never admit to it.

Even though he flew as fast as he possibly could, Graveyard still thought that it took too much time to reach the other city he had targeted. As soon as he got there, he noticed that there were more ghosts in Reno than there had been in Vegas. He didn't actively get involved with any of them, though; he trusted his female friend to be able to clean up the mess while he took care of the main problem. However, as he searched the city, Graveyard focused too much on finding the portal he needed to close and not enough on his surroundings. A mischievous ghost attempted to sneak up behind him, a ball of green energy lighting in his hands that looked similar to the one Graveyard had shot earlier. He would've hit the teen boy too, if it had not been for the white-clad figure that sprung at him from a nearby building, screaming, "_Hey dumbass, look out!_"

Graveyard spun around, turning just in time to see his white-clad friend slash a dirk across the other ghost's shoulder. It yelped at the pain, but Graveyard paid no heed to it, quickly pulling out his portal gun and shooting the other ghost. He didn't watch for the ghost to disappear; instead, he dove after the falling girl that had decided to jump off a three-story building. His quick speed allowed him to catch the black-haired girl before she fell too far, and Graveyard pulled up, zooming in the direction of the building the trained assassin had decided to jump from.

"You know, you could've died by doing that." Graveyard commented casually, as if his friend hadn't just decided to put her life in peril. He floated gently down to the rooftop, unhindered by the extra weight of the girl in his arms.

The girl crossed one leg over the other, just as casual as the boy who carried her. She was relaxed in his arms, and it was obvious she trusted him immensely with her safety when she just shrugged at his casual comment, replying, "I could've, but you were right there. You know how much of a pain-in-the-ass I would be if I were to become a ghost."

The boy's feet touched the ground as he rolled his eyes, setting his female friend's feet on the ground. She patted him on the shoulder, somehow conveying it to be condescending. Graveyard huffed before looking the girl up and down, noticing her new uniform. The white jumpsuit was very reminiscent of Black Thorn's suit, as was the bulky purple belt wrapped around her waist. However, her mask covered less than half of her face, and the mask itself was in the shape of outstretched wings joined at the girl's crown. Her striking violet eyes glistened with amusement from behind the mask. She held twin dirks lovingly in her hands. Both of them had matching white hilts, an ornamental violet gemstone in each. Graveyard couldn't quite see it, but he could feel the ectoranium radiating from the weapons.

"My dear lady, would you happen to know where a ghost portal is? I would greatly appreciate the help." Graveyard asked, performing a mock bow quickly before he got up.

His friend rolled her eyes and pointed to her right. "There's a flashy casino down that way. You can't miss it. There's a portal hovering beside a window." Graveyard saluted to her, preparing to take off and fly away, but she made him pause as she added, "And just for future reference, the name's Snowbird."

Graveyard winked at the trained mercenary before echoing his words to Droid, telling Snowbird that she could call him if she found herself in trouble. The white-clad female scoffed, as if she thought the notion ridiculous, but there was the slightest nod in her head to tell Graveyard that she would call if she did somehow need help. With that, the teen boy zoomed off into the distance, preparing himself for the dozens upon hundreds of towns he was going to hit to resolve the problem.

It took an astonishing twelve hours for the JL and friends to get the world back to its original state, and even then, it wasn't perfect. Graveyard was sure there were other ghosts they missed and portals he hadn't repaired, but for the most part, the invasion had been terminated. There were no more constant attacks on people and no more constant hoards of spectral beings coming and going through easily accessible portals.

For the most part, Graveyard merely stuck to his repair job. However, by the end of those twelve hours, he was absolutely exhausted. It surprised the teen how much he kept thinking of sleeping for a week once all was said and done. He hadn't even done much fighting, though some heroes had needed help here and there whenever he hit the town they were trying to help. However, he did acknowledge that he hadn't used his powers like this in years and also hadn't been very physically active either. Honestly, the only reason he wasn't overweight was because he forgot to eat a lot.

Graveyard stitched up the last portal in a town in Angola and behind him, the teen could hear a handful of heroes sending the last few ghosts to the Ghost Zone. Just as he cut his brilliantly colored thread and the portal melded together, the boy turned around, witnessing as the last ghost disappeared in a flash of light. Both the townspeople and the heroes began cheering, and a heroine by the name of Black Canary relayed that their mission had been completed in the comm. Graveyard floated down to join the group, grinning tiredly as he inserted himself at the edge of the group of heroes.

Through the laughing and happy chatting, Snowbird slid up behind her male friend unnoticeably, wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind. The boy looked at her just as she rested her chin on his shoulder. Snowbird batted her eyes flirtatiously at Graveyard, and the boy rolled his eyes. After all, it had been a running joke for the past hours that Snowbird was a total flirt with everyone but would burn you to the ground if you made any advances. For the Leaguers, it had been very off-putting. For Snowbird, Droid, and Graveyard, it had been hilarious.

"What do you need, birdie?" Graveyard asked.

Snowbird trailed a finger across his shoulder, lightly drawing circles. Instead of answering her friend's question, Snowbird asked, "Are you going to go back to the JL's little hideout once everyone is done celebrating here?"

"I would assume so." Graveyard replied, his eyes glancing in the direction of the smiling Leaguers. He noticed the bracelets on their wrists and the different ray guns he had spread out between them. "They have all my junk, and I kind of want it back. I'm not giving any mad geniuses in the bunch a chance to go nuts with the technology." The jab was obviously poked at Batman, but Snowbird didn't catch onto that detail.

"Ok. I was just making sure. Droid and I were interested in having a chat with you, so if you would please indulge us soon, it would be greatly appreciated." Snowbird said, her flirtatious stare turning serious.

Graveyard only nodded, his eyes shining with serious as well, but it vanished in the next second. Instead, he continued the charade the two of them had going, smiling as he tilted his head in her direction. Snowbird slipped away from him, though, wagging her finger at him in a 'no-no' gesture. Graveyard rolled his eyes at the girl.

From his vantage point, Batman wondered at the two teens' relationship. As most would assume by their performance, Graveyard and the self-proclaimed heroine, Snowbird, looked to be involved. However, even though their eyes said 'bedroom buddies,' their body language read more like 'friendly rivals.' Batman couldn't see either of them taking their advances seriously, and if either of them did, he could imagine the other would set them straight. The nature of the relationship, however, wasn't all that Batman wondered about. He wanted to know how the teens (and by extension, the new android, as well) knew each other. After all, as far as Batman knew, Danny didn't like to associate himself with other heroes if he didn't have to, so why was he so buddy-buddy with these two and where had they come from?

Not long after Snowbird and Graveyard's conversation, the heroes were teleported back to the Watchtower, and Snowbird was sent on home via the teleporter. Despite how much all the Leaguers would've loved to merely go home and sleep everything off by this point, they were ordered to return their borrowed weapons, Graveyard watching with boredom through the entire process. After that, most people went straight on home. Most metas, however, stayed behind for a little while longer, if only to bandage their bruised wrists and grab some pills for the oncoming nausea and migraine Graveyard had warned them of.

Batman seemed to be the only normal human in the League that wasn't totally depleted of energy. He watched his allies with his signature stance that screamed of power and intimidation, which elicited many eye-rolls from the other Leaguers. His perception skills were not hindered at all, either. Through the hustle and bustle that was hard to sort out for others, Batman noticed that Graveyard was nowhere to be seen. He asked around some of the remaining Leaguers if they had seen the boy, and after a few tries, Flash finally pointed down one of the Watchtower halls and said, "Oh, him? He went to the bathroom. I don't think he was feeling well."

The Dark Knight nodded before storming off. He was in the bathroom in minutes, standing in the open doorframe of a bathroom stall. Graveyard was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall with a small smudge of gastric acid in the corner of his mouth. Whatever he had puked up was long gone, as the toilet water was clear.

For a moment, Batman believed the teen to be asleep, but when the boy sensed the silence presence, he opened one dull, green eye. Upon seeing the Dark Knight, Graveyard whined, "Please take me home."

* * *

A day and a half later, Danny struggled up into his favorite (and only) chair, pulling himself miserably up to his desk. His head was pounding, and he still felt quite nauseous after his adventure with the Justice League. In all honesty, Danny really wanted to stay in bed, rest off the worst of the sick feeling, but he had made a promise to his friends, and he'd already stretched it out enough. They would undoubtedly understand why it had taken so long for him to finally get in touch with them, but Danny still didn't feel good about putting their talk off for any longer than it needed to be put off.

As the teen sent a command to his computer to call his two friends, Danny noticed a bottle of pills on his desk, along with a note. He picked up the note, and read Batman's simple instructions to eat and drink whenever he got around to reading the note. The Dark Knight explicitly stated that Danny should eat before taking the medication he left behind to help with the migraines and nausea. He also said he'd call eventually, probably with a job of some sort. It wasn't stated, but Danny knew the call would also be to check up with him. The job was only an excuse. The thought had Danny smiling gently as he rolled to his fridge, pulling out whatever fast-food leftovers he had stored away.

While Danny was busy digging through the fridge, both Sam and Tucker decided to pick up, shooting off their normal greetings before noticing that Danny was nowhere to be seen. The teens glanced at each other in question before Tucker, "Danny, where are you?"

After throwing some Chinese food in the microwave and punching in some numbers, Danny rolled back over to his desk, saying, "Right here. Sorry. Heating leftovers. What's up?"

Tucker completely ignored Danny's tired question, commenting seriously, "You look like shit."

Sam laughed a little, though she did her best to try and hide it with a cough. Danny only glared at the other boy, not amused. "And all this time, I thought I looked like a fucking princess."

Grinning, Sam intervened, "Calm down, Danny. As much as I would love to continue teasing you about how you look like you were hit with a semi, the two of us are here for another reason, ok?" Danny, unconcerned, waved his hand in a silent 'go on.' Sam needed no other encouragement, saying, "Look Danny, Tuck and I are a little concerned at how easily you're letting yourself go hero."

It didn't take much brain power for Danny to figure out what Sam was telling him. She was referring to his intervention with her gig and now the ghost invasion. He knew exactly what she meant because, though he couldn't bring himself to admit it, he had the same concerns. He was jumping into the good fight faster than he would've months ago. He was letting his ever-growing affection for the Dark Knight to sway his mindset. He liked the way people smiled at him, as if he was a good person and even though the looks still threw him through a loop. Danny knew what was going on, but he was reluctant to make it stop. Hell, he was reluctant to even acknowledge what was going on, for fear all of it would simply go away.

So, Danny did the only thing that seemed reasonable at the time. He lied.

"Look guys, I know what it looks like. Seriously, I do. But it's just an act, ok?" Danny replied, smiling easily at his friends. It was as if he had been expecting the conversation. "That first time with Sam? Just another act. I know I shouldn't have bothered with the cops, but their stupidity was pissing me off. It was Batman's idea to intervene with your job; I did so because there was no good reason for me _not_ to. And this invasion? I was looking out for own interests here. Ghosts terrorizing the world and all? Yeah, that's kind of bad for business. So you can say I'm going good and everything, but I know what I'm doing, ok?"

Shit, Danny almost believed himself. Even the Dark Knight would probably believe the teen. However, neither Sam nor Tucker seemed entirely sure if they should trust his words. Danny continued to grin, hiding the fact he was holding his breath. There was a brief moment of tenseness, but Tucker finally caved. He just kind of shrugged, looking uneasy as he said, "If you say so, man. I just hope you know mean that."

"Trust me, guys. I do." Danny stated. Sam looked as if she was ready to interject with something, but the black-haired boy cut her off before she could. Danny said, "Look, guys. My head is throbbing, and I feel like I'm gonna hurl any minute now. I'll talk to you guys later, ok?"

No one could question that, and the three teens hung up seconds later. Danny leaned back with a sigh, rubbing his aching temples and wondering what sort of crap he had gotten himself into.


	8. Where Loyalties Lie

Ch.8: Where Loyalties Lie

_Danny looked at the other children, hardly noticing how few there were in such a big building. There were probably more hiding somewhere, but this fact never occurred to the young boy. It also never occurred that playgrounds weren't meant to be indoors, but nevertheless, there was a playground just feet away, placed smack dab in the lobby of the building. More children were climbing on the jungle gym or pumping their feet as they lulled back and forth on the swings. The swinging children were going noticeably slower than they should be, and the kids on the jungle gym seemed stilted, but again, it was as if everything was as normal as watching TV._

_The little, black-haired child had been told by his parents that he was going to be able to play with the children, and though he consciously knew he was going to have fun, Danny felt no excitement. This did not register as wrong, though, even if he knew he should be feeling some sort of emotion. Danny turned to his parents, and instead of voicing the strangeness of the situation, the boy asked, "Are you going to watch me, Mama? Daddy?"_

_Unlike Danny, Mommy and Daddy seemed to be overcome with emotion. The corners of Daddy's lips were trembling, and his cobalt eyes were misty. Over than those minuscule details, however, the man was perfectly composed. Mommy was less so. A few tears were running down her face, and her smile wavered as she looked down at her son. She answered him, "No Baby, Daddy and I won't be able to watch you play."_

_For some odd reason, this did not scare Danny. Normally, he was a clingy child, but here, it was like he couldn't feel at all. Still, Danny pouted as if this upset him and asked, "Why _not_, Mommy?"_

_Mommy chuckled hollowly at her son's pleading question, her laughter hitching with something that Danny could not describe, something that Danny could not understand. The orange-haired woman replied, "Daddy and I have to go to the grocery store, Baby, and you know that's no fun for you! At least you'll be able to play with other kids this way. Won't that be fun?"_

_Danny nodded without any hesitation. "When will you be back?"_

_Another tear rained down the woman's face, sliding down quickly before pausing at the tip of her chin. It should've dripped, but it stayed, dangling from her flesh instead. Mommy crouched down beside her son, the teardrop swaying back and forth. She placed her hands on the sides of Danny's face, and the boy didn't hesitate to place his small ones over her bigger ones. Mommy's watery smile began to break apart as she said, "Soon, Danny. We'll pick you up soon. I promise."_

_Satisfied, Danny nodded and smiled. His cheeks still gently pressed against his mother's palms, the oblivious little boy said, "Ok, Mommy. I'll see you later. I love you!"_

_ "__I love you too, Baby. I love you too…"_

* * *

Danny awoke gradually from his slumber, feeling numb. His eyes saw the room around him, but he was still too far lost in his dream that it didn't click in his brain that he was _home_, he was _safe_. Danny was still scared and tiny, terrified of the kids that might try to pick on him. He was still physically incapable of deciding his own fate outside of what he wanted to eat or drink or watch on TV. To Danny, he was still four-years-old, trapped in an environment he didn't know how to handle, forever wishing for his Mommy and Daddy to come save him.

Unfortunately for the four-year-old, saving never came.

For a long while, Danny remained cooped up on his mattress, hidden from the world. His senses slowly returned to him, reminding him of his huge progress in life. But no matter what Danny told himself, he couldn't quite shake off his dream. He had had similar ones over the years, with similar ludicrous visuals to the one of the playground in the building lobby and different variations of the conversation. But one thing never changed: _"Soon, Danny. We'll pick you up soon. I promise." _What a lie that had proved to be.

Crawling out from under his desk, Danny crawled into his chair, pulling himself up to his desk. It was a task that required no thought, and neither was his next task. In his typical routine, Danny began the usual checking of message boards, private chats, any current phone-conversations, and the new addition to the list, his ectoplasmic radar. However, for the time being, nothing was keeping his interest. He was too bothered by his dream; an idea kept nagging at the back of his brain, calling too loudly for anything else to snag his attention. It became so distracting that Danny eventually caved to his brain's nagging with an irritated sigh, spinning his chair around to his least favorite hologram. He opened his bookmarks, scrolled through the list, and found the one currently on his mind. The teen boy blinked twice, the translucent hologram hovering over his eye selecting the option. In milliseconds, the bookmarked page was up, glaring at him cruelly.

The formatting for Las Vegas' biggest orphanage taunted him with its familiarity. Danny had to have looked at it hundreds of times before this, for it was a surefire way to both torture himself with its sad, pathetic statement and sternly remind himself of how far he had come. Today, though… He wasn't here to do the latter. He was here for the former, as pitiful as it was. Danny just couldn't find it in him to resist, though.

Just as the formatting did, the name stamped across the top of the record jeered at him, breaking down the self-esteem Danny had successfully built over the years with ease. '_Fenton, Daniel James._'

For a moment, Danny just stared at his name, hating it. _Fenton_. He had never liked being called it, and he had liked it less when he used it. A last name was a distinction. A last name told people falsely that Danny had a family, which he certainly _did not_ have. If he did, he probably wouldn't be living in a dinky apartment, running the deep-web's best program. The closest thing Danny had to a family was Sam and Tucker, and the three of them didn't need matching names to show people how they felt about each other. If people wanted to know what their association with each other was, all they had to do was watch the way the three teens looked at each other.

The black-haired teen took comfort in the thought of his friends, even if their relationship lately hadn't been quite as strong as it had once been. The three of them would fix it soon enough. Danny didn't worry about that.

Back on the computer, a basic list of things to know about Danny was typed neatly under the boy's name. It told people what his hair color was, what his eye color, etc. It was just general tidbits. All the hardcore information- the names of his parents, for example –could only be viewed by people in certain positions of power, such as the head of the orphanage and such. Even then, it took a lot of string pulling for them to be viewed.

However, if one was an excellent hacker, none of that mattered. And Danny was an excellent hacker.

It'd be so easy to hack into the file, Danny knew. It's not like there was a lot of security placed on a random child's files. And yet, every time Danny found himself seriously contemplating finding everything out, he could never bring himself to go through with it. For a long time, he had wondered why, but in recent years, Danny figured out why, even if he consistently denied it.

He was _scared_. Danny was _terrified_ of finding out the truth about why he had ended up in the custody of the state at such a young age. Danny clearly remembered his mother and father, looking like death had visited them the last time he saw them. They obviously hadn't been happy to leave him, just as Danny hadn't been thrilled to see them go with little explanation as to why they were leaving him. But what if that was all just made up? What if he was one of those kids that made artificial memories because the real experience had been too traumatic? What if his parents were dead by some accident? Or maybe something even worse than that…

What if they just…simply hadn't wanted Danny?

Danny leaned back in his seat, sighing as he wondered what to do with himself. There was no way he would be able to concentrate on work now that he was on this train of thought and doing something with Sam and/or Tucker wouldn't be able to lift his mood, no matter how much the other teens tried. Looking at the very basics of his file always managed to screw him up for a good couple of days before Danny fixed his attitude, returning his mentality back to what it usually was: the badass supreme of the Dark-Net.

For a long time, Danny remained deep in thought in front of his least favorite hologram. His mind would not stop replaying the phantom words, _"Soon, Danny. We'll pick you up soon. I promise." _The teen couldn't let go of the fact that the very first part of his life was a story he could access with ease, but instead of reading the whole thing, he remained stuck on the first damned chapter. Not for the first time, it irked Danny how much of a wuss he was being.

After an undeterminable amount of time, one of the holograms began ringing, shutting off the stereo and all of the holograms, except for the one. It startled Danny out of his depressed stupor, and he quickly turned to the hologram, reading the names flashing on the screen: '**Drone**' and '**Black Thorn**.' For a moment, Danny contemplated coming up with an excuse to avoid talking to them at the moment, but at the very last ring, the boy plastered on a fake smile and accepted the call.

Sam and Tucker's faces appeared on the screen, both looking a little concerned. Danny pretended not to notice as he leaned back in his seat, propping his feet on the desk in front of him. Folding his hands behind his head, Danny greeted the two, "Sup guys. How's life?"

Tucker looked at his best friend strangely, like he expected the boy to suddenly break down or act unlike himself. The dark-skinned boy slowly and cautiously asked, "Is everything ok over there, Danny? It sure took you awhile to answer the call…"

"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. I was in the bathroom." The Dark-Net creator said, jerking his head in the direction of the stated room.

Tucker looked curiously over at Sam, who seemed equally as perturbed by the other boy's unusually cool attitude as well. The female mercenary asked, "Seriously Danny, you all good? You're never this chipper when we see you unless something is wrong."

Some of Danny's smile dropped. Sam was right, after all. While he was normally in a good mood when he talked to the two, Danny's attention was never fully invested in the two themselves, unless subject matters pertained to business, gaming, or both. Outside of that, Danny was easily distracted, even if the two teens were his best friends and the closest thing he had to family. Besides, it had never seemed to bother Sam or Tucker much. In fact, they always counted on this attitude, and that's why it was so noticeable that something was wrong with him.

However, Danny had never told anyone, especially not Sam or Tucker, about the way he sometimes contemplated all the haunting 'what if's,' the bittersweet 'what could have been's.' The black-haired teen certainly didn't need them assuring him that his parents' decision (death? accident?) was a good thing, that it led them to where they were now. After all, Danny already knew all those things. It didn't take away the sting, though.

Back with the conversation, Danny waved his friends' concerns off. "Fine, fine, you caught me. I've been dealing with some personal stuff lately. It's nothing to worry about, though. It will all be resolved shortly. In fact, it's almost entirely cleared up. I'll finish it when we're done here."

It was a lie, but, well, he'd been lying a lot lately.

"Are you sure? Do you need any help?" Tucker asked before pausing. There was a noticeable moment of silence, and then the teen boy hesitantly asked, "Does it have anything to do with Batman?"

The question immediately sparked irritation within Danny, dwindling some of the depression that had been overwhelming him just seconds before. He was less than surprised at the question, but dammit, could his two friends please just drop that matter for one single, solitary conversation? Was that too much to ask for?

(Yes, it occurred to Danny that he would ask the same questions and have the same worries, but it didn't take away any of the annoyance.)

"No guys. This is a Batman-free problem. Can we just drop the subject?" Danny snapped.

Tucker held up his hands in surrender, immediately backing down from digging further. For a moment, Sam seemed to contemplate digging further but at the last moment, decided against it. The mercenary, too, decided it was best to drop the subject, even if she was more sensitive to the Batman fiasco. Despite things being cleared up in the end, Sam had yet to let go of Danny's intervention in her gig, and even though she would've loved to mention it again, the girl wisely kept her mouth shut.

The black-haired boy's fingers drummed against the top of his desk. Danny asked, "So what do the two of you need today?"

"I need an opinion from you, Danny, and Sam, I was wondering if you could tagalong on the gig I'm about to elaborate on, if I end up accepting it." Tucker replied, looking at his friends with interest. Sam told the boy that she wanted the details of the job before she accepted, and Danny gestured for Tucker to continue. The dark-skinned boy needed no further encouragement, launching into a speech about his maybe employer, someone going by the name of Racer. Said employer was asking that Tucker send an android out to assassinate the one and only, Lex Luthor. However, it couldn't just be any android. No! Racer specifically asked for it to be an android of the senator of Nevada that Lex Luthor was going to make a public appearance with later that day. It was a simple scheme but still devious, all the same. Not only would one public figure be dead, but another would have his entire career ruined.

Instead of being shocked by Racer's request, though, Sam asked in astonishment, "How are you supposed to do that? It takes weeks, months even, to build one android, and this guy wants you to do this later today? Why are you even considering this?"

"I already have an android of the senator." Tucker replied, unconcerned.

Danny grinned and cackled some, obviously already in on the other boy's secret. He commented, "You remember that public stunt the guy- what's his name? Smith? -pulled some months ago? He flashed a bunch of people on a random street?" Sam nodded. Danny snickered again. "Yeah, that was Tucker."

Tucker joined Danny in laughing, the two falling into a giggle-fest as they remembered the unforgiving newsfeed that had torn the politician apart that day. Sam shook her head at the two boys, a small smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. As she waited for the two boys to calm themselves, Sam mumbled, "You guys have all the fun…"

It took some time, but the snickering eventually faded out, both boys breathing heavier than normal. Tucker pushed his glasses higher on his nose before continuing where he had left off, explaining that he was unsure if he was getting paid enough for the job. The boy was not going to ask for full price anyway, especially since he had already decided that he wasn't going to be killing anyone, but the price Racer offered just didn't sit well with the boy. After some discussion with Danny, who was well-versed the economics of criminals, Tucker finally came to a price that he would refuse to budge on. If Racer would not agree with the boy, there would be no deal.

As for what Tucker wanted from Sam in the deal, he merely asked her if she would so kindly keep the real senator locked in his penthouse. It would be a shame if the mission were to be unsuccessful because the man showed up just as the android was making its move. Sam readily agreed once she was told that she would be getting a cut of the earned money. It would be a small cut but a cut, nonetheless.

The conversation quickly came to an end after the three finished discussing the details. They hung up with easy-going smiles. Danny's quickly dropped after their faces were gone, however, and the boy looked to his side, where '_Fenton, Daniel James_' once again glared at him. The boy glared right back before turning back to his work, vowing to open the file at a later date when he didn't have things to do. (Another lie, but who was keeping count?)

The next two and a half hours went without a problem. Danny went through and made some updates on Dark-Net's system, just as he did every other month. It was the only routine in his life he had yet to break, but that was mostly due to the fact the system tended to crash if he didn't. That had happened a couple of times during the beginning of the Dark-Net's reign. No remembered the malfunctions, though, because Danny had taken care of them quickly.

Thinking about the past led Danny to remembering how easy it had been all those short years ago. Back then, everything had made sense. It had just been Danny, Sam, and Tucker, doing what they loved with no one to come between him. As much as the teen liked the Dark Knight, those simple days had been the best, and they were missed dearly. (That didn't stop Danny from loving his life now, even if he kept telling himself he should hate it because of what it had come to.)

Danny's reminiscing was so deep that he didn't realize he wasn't alone until his stereo was abruptly turned off. The sudden, distinct lack of hard rock startled the teen from his thoughts, and the first conscious thing he thought was, 'Hide my records!' Danny wasted no time in shutting down the tab on his least favorite hologram as he turned around, looking frazzled and irritated by the Dark Knight's sudden intrusion. Batman was emotionless as Danny said, "Oh great, look what the cat dragged in." The teen turned his chair back to his main hologram, and Danny asked, "So, what can I do for you today, Bats?"

Batman silently wandered up beside the teen's chair, standing beside the boy. "How much do you know about Lex Luthor?"

At the name, Danny became nervous. He had a feeling he knew where this was going already, but the teen gave his supervisor the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he didn't know anything; maybe Luthor was doing something diabolical. After all, the man was a scumbag, like lots of politicians. Yeah, that had to be it. The offer Tucker got was too last minute for the Dark Knight to catch wind of. This definitely had to be for something else.

"I know he's bald, rich, has an assistant that he's never seen without, and he's rich." Danny commented sarcastically, hiding his anxiousness well as he looked up at Batman, a smirk adorning his face.

The Dark Knight sighed. "You said 'rich' twice."

"I know, but that's, like, the only thing you hear about him! 'I'm rich, and you aren't, bitches! Ha-ha!' That'll totally change when I hack into your bank account, ya douche bag! Ha-ha!" Danny said, dancing a little bit in his seat at his 'genius humor.' Batman just stared at him dryly, and Danny said, "Come on. You have to admit, if he were suddenly hit with poverty, it'd be hilarious."

The Dark Knight did not answer Danny, nor did he make any gesture to signal that he had heard the teen's last comment. Batman immediately dove into the purpose of his visit, asking, "Has there been any talk of assassinating Luthor on the Dark-Net recently?"

…_shit. _Danny felt his stomach drop as the Dark Knight asked his question. His smirk almost dropped. It took all of the boy's effort to keep it up, keep it convincing while the teen scrambled his brain for a response.

No, no, _no_, Batman couldn't know anything about Tucker and his gig. He couldn't! It had only been decided a few hours ago, and the only opportunity for the deal to go through was _today! _Even Danny probably would've missed the job, had it not been Tucker that the Racer guy had contacted. So _how the hell_ was Batman standing beside Danny _now_, asking him something that _should've_ been completely overlooked until it was far too late to stop?

It didn't even matter, Danny decided, still smirking, despite feeling nothing but despair. The teen couldn't screw with his friends again. He just couldn't. They were already becoming wary of him because of one, single, solitary incident and a few questionable decisions on his part. If Danny did anything to jeopardize this mission, neither Sam nor Tucker would be able to forgive him. And _damn it_, Danny loved the two of them too much to hurt them like this!

"Uh, if anyone's plotting against Luthor, I haven't seen it." Danny finally replied, shrugging his shoulders casually. "Normally, people are trying to plot _with_ him. I'm telling you, man, the only thing likeable about Luthor is his money. I've got an entire list of users who would agree with me because most of them have tried to get him to fund their worthless projects at some point."

Danny thought he had been doing a pretty job at hiding the fact he knew exactly what the Dark Knight was talking about, but the glare Batman donned told the teen otherwise. The Caped Crusader asked in a dangerously low voice, "What do you know, Danny?"

The black-haired boy quickly returned the nasty glare, his features harsh in the light of the holograms. Mimicking the older's edgy voice, Danny asked, "Why does it matter?"

"Luthor isn't exactly the League's favorite person. I keep tabs on him in case he starts getting the wrong ideas. Lately, though, he's been getting anonymous emails, all of which have been death threats. Luthor hasn't done anything to suggest that he's taking them seriously. However, I have a feeling the sender is being deathly serious when he sends them." Batman explained. "The one writing the notes needs to be stopped if he does plan on going through with what he's been saying."

"Why?" Danny asked suddenly, startling the Dark Knight for a split second before he regained his composure. Danny didn't allow him to answer, though. He kept talking, saying, "Why does that scumbag deserve to live? Luthor is a bastard! Always has been, always will be. If you ask me, Luthor is getting his just desserts."

"While that may be true, the end _does not_ justify the means." Batman stated, his glare darkening at the teen's flippant attitude of a life being taken. Later, he would wonder why Danny would say such harsh things, especially since he had supposedly been against killing, but for right now, Batman was only _pissed_, and it showed. It showed like a lighthouse on a foggy night as the Dark Knight said, "If you don't want to help me stop this, _fine_, but you'll give me the damn details so I can stop it myself. Do you understand?"

The teen didn't answer right away, and it was impossible to tell if he would answer at all. Batman narrowed his eyes, his glare darkening, but Danny just countered it with his own, his eyes fiery. The two became locked in a battle of wills, fighting silently but fiercely. It was a battle that could've gone for an eternity, neither side gaining any ground on the other. And it was going to go on for an eternity, Batman realized. They were going to be like this until the thing they were fighting about was said and done, and that enlightenment had the Dark Knight blurting, "_Damn it, Danny!_ Don't be a disappointment!"

The statement came out of nowhere. It didn't just shock Danny; it surprised Batman too. If he could've, the Caped Crusader would've taken it back, but there was no way for him to negate what he had said. Batman watched, horrified, as Danny's fiery expression faltered at his words before it just…crumbled. The teen's will to fight broke apart, and though Batman watched the boy flounder to erect it again, the pieces just kept slipping through his fingers. It was a losing battle, and as soon as the teen realized this, he gave up. Batman found it disturbing how easily the boy had let his resolve go, all over one stupid statement from his part.

The two remained in silence, and it didn't even matter that there was someone out there that needed their help if he wanted to see another day. The siren called the Present kept the two wrapped up in its deadly, hypnotizing song. There was nothing that neither Batman nor Danny could do to break the Present's spell. It hung over their heads, being the constant, nagging reminder neither of them wanted.

"I've got a headset in the basement that can help us. I'll be back in a minute." Danny said, his voice oddly soft. It didn't sound like the teen at all, but Batman couldn't bring himself to say anything as the teen grabbed the basement keys and got up. Without another word, Danny left the apartment, the door closing softly behind him.

Batman sighed as he reached up to rub the side of his head. The man turned his head to the side to look at all the things Danny had taken the time to create on his own, casually marveling at the time and effort it must have taken the boy to get this far. His own, harsh words echoed in his head (_"Don't be a disappointment!"_), and the Dark Knight wondered why such things ever left his mouth.

The man's overwhelming feelings led him to staring at the blank hologram off to the side for some odd reason. Batman remembered that there had been a tab up before, but Danny had shut it down as soon as he found out Batman was in the room with him. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered the Dark Knight. People kept certain things hidden, after all. But after what he had said and Danny's quick defeat, Batman worried at what the teen wanted to hide. The man glanced towards the door, where Danny had disappeared, before his eyes found the hologram again.

It didn't take much to figure out how to bring the previous tab up again, and as Batman read the incomplete file, his brows furrowed in confusion. Why would Danny be looking at his personal file from the orphanage? And why would he only look at the very basic information, if he was going to look at his file at all?

Truth be told, the Dark Knight did not have a clear picture of the way Danny grew up. Batman already knew about the boy being in the state's custody from some skimming through a few records, and in previous conversations, Danny had implied in his words that he had done some growing up on the streets (and the Ghost Zone, apparently). Beyond those small tidbits, however, Batman was clueless. In the beginning, when he had first met Danny, he had meant to look into the boy's files deeper but had never found the time to do it. By the time he did have some free-time on his hands, Batman had a greater respect for the boy and had decided to give him some privacy. Unfortunately, Batman was beginning to wonder if that had been such a great idea.

Danny was very strange when it came to getting involved in anything involving heroism. He liked to cherry-pick which ones he wanted to get involved in and which ones he didn't; a prime example of this was the incident with Johnny. Danny had no problem jumping in and stopping his friend, but when Batman had asked the boy to stop a mercenary, the teen didn't want to intervene. At the time, the Dark Knight had chalked it up to the media attention it would get. However, when the invasion came around, Danny once again showed no hesitance in doing the dirty work, despite how big of a story it would be. And now he didn't want to get involved again! Batman could not even begin to fathom what was going through the teen's head.

The Dark Knight closed the tab on the hologram, stepping away from it. He promised himself that he would read the file soon. Maybe there was something in it that could tell him what was going on with Danny.

Speaking of the teen, the doorknob jingled for a moment before it opened, the boy wandering back in and shutting the door behind him. In his hands, he held a headset that Batman vaguely remembered seeing in Danny's storage unit. The teen wordlessly took his earpiece out to slip the headset on as he walked the few steps back to his chair, falling into it wordlessly. Danny situated the headset over his ears carefully before pulling himself up to his desk again. He pulled a keyboard towards him as he bent the adjustable microphone towards his mouth. Once all the setting up was finished, Danny brought up one of his many files, searching through the contents as he tried to find the correct program he wanted.

Unbeknownst to most people, Tucker had a backup plan in case any of his androids were hacked or had a malfunction of some kind. That emergency plan happened to be Danny. If Tucker should ever be under duress because of one of his beloved androids, Danny had backdoors into the system of every android Tucker had ever made. These backdoors allowed him to fix bugs on the spot, power the androids down, or under extreme emergencies, destroy them.

It also allowed Danny to completely hijack any of the androids and work it to his orders. Tucker had never worried about that option, though. Danny had never given him a reason to believe that the black-haired boy would do such a terrible thing to him.

Danny sighed inaudibly as he found the program for the senator's android. He quickly opened the program, tapping into its live video feed. It immediately showed footage of a sidewalk, people walking by and past the camera as it moved at a moderate pace down the street. The brim of a hat obscured some of the camera's view, but that didn't seem to matter so much. No one noticed the camera as it moved between the hoards of people that came and went.

"What are we looking at?" Batman asked, his eyes narrowing in curiosity.

The teen's voice was emotionless as he replied, "There _is_ a hit out for Luthor, and the one taking care of the job controls androids instead of getting into the field himself. The androids have a reputation of being untraceable and unhackable. Unfortunately for the maker of the robots, no one has ever been able to completely keep me out of their things."

For a long while, the teen and his supervisor stayed enwrapped in silence. They watched the world from the robot's eyes, taking in the sunny day it was. It was weird watching all the people go about their day, to be able to see the sun while being untouched by its rays. It wouldn't have been so out of place, had Danny decided to open his curtains for once to let in the sunshine.

Finally, though, the robot began approaching a hotel where a limo sat in front of the curb, absently waiting for someone of importance to show up. Batman opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but Danny beat him to the punch, saying, "The android looks like Senator What's-His-Face, so not only was it supposed to kill Luthor. No! It was also supposed to be ruining another man's life. I guess we're not going to be letting that happen, though…"

Batman noted that Danny's voice sounded dead as he spoke, like he would rather be skinny-dipping in acid than helping to save a life.

"Override code: 42759Z." Danny ordered. The android stopped in its tracks, becoming still in the middle of the sidewalk. A generic, electronic voice said, "_Override accepted_."

"Relay orders."

"_Orders are… One: go to Hilton Hotel on Windswept Road. Complete. Two: get rid of disguise. Incomplete. Three-_"

"Erase all orders. New orders are one: go to Room 375 of the Hilton Hotel. Two: enter room. Three: allow the senator to leave unharmed. Four: take the mercenary Black Thorn hostage. End of orders."

"_My new orders are… One: go to Room 375 of the Hilton Hotel. Two: enter room. Three: allow the senator to leave unharmed. Four: take the mercenary Black Thorn hostage. Are these my new orders, yes or no?_"

"Yes."

"_New orders accepted. Currently completing… One: go to Room 375 of the Hilton Hotel._"

Danny leaned back in his seat as he watched the android flawlessly follow his orders without a second to spare. He could feel Batman's eyes boring into the side of his head, more than likely leaving holes, but the teen couldn't bring himself to look in the other's direction. Danny couldn't let the older see the shame on his face for doing something that most would say was right. He couldn't let the Dark Knight onto the fact that he was doing something so very wrong and that it was killing him slowly.

"Black Thorn is in on this too?" Batman asked, his voice coming out harsher than he had intended. He couldn't help it, however. Why hadn't Danny told him of the girl partnering on this job with whoever the android designer was?

The teen only hummed a 'yes' in reply, refusing to say anything more for the time. Batman wanted to press, but he knew it would get him nowhere. Thus, the Dark Knight wisely kept his mouth shut.

The two watched as the android rode up one of the hotel's elevator. As soon as it came to its level, the doors opened, and the android stepped off. The robot wandered down the hall, passing numbered doors that were not his target. It took a few minutes, but the android finally came upon Room 375. It grabbed the door-handle and broke it with ease.

"_One: go to Room 375 of the Hilton Hotel. Completed. Now completing… Two: enter room._"

The door was slammed open, starling the figures inside and huddled in the living room. Batman immediately recognized both the senator of Nevada and the female mercenary from the night Danny had called him in blind panic. They looked to the android simultaneously, both in shock but for different reasons. The robot began walking into the room.

"_Two: enter room. Completed. Now completing… Three: allow the senator to leave unharmed._"

They could not see the girl's face because of her mask, but they could still feel the glare Batman and Danny knew was on her face. She obviously could not hear the orders being relayed, for she stalked towards the robot, arms outstretched in an outraged gesture. Black Thorn yelled, "What the fuck are you _doing here_, idiot-stick?! You're supposed to be on your way to the public event already!"

Batman was taken aback by the casually pissed tone Black Thorn used, as if she knew who the original owner of the android was. The Dark Knight glanced down at Danny, but he seemed to not notice the tone of the girl's voice. Batman looked back at the footage, thoroughly interested in what was happening on screen.

Black Thorn stalked forward. Her katanas glinted in the harsh lighting as they hung from her hands. Danny knew the girl wouldn't do anything to harm the robot, but the android read Black Thorn's tense stance as hostile. The mercenary stalked within three feet of the robot and raised one hand as if to slash at the robot. The android reacted automatically, throwing a fist forward. Black Thorn ducked under it before trying to kick the robot's feet out from under it. It was a futile effort, and Black Thorn indignantly yelled, "Drone, what the fuck?! We're allies, you son of a bitch! _We're allies!_"

The android was unhearing to the girl's infuriated screams. Danny and Batman watched as the robot continued to throw basic punches and kicks in an attempt to dissuade Black Thorn from attacking, but the mercenary was not one to back down. She kept pressing forward, dodging attacks and throwing kicks and punches that caused little damage to the robot's exterior and practically none to the interior.

The poor, traumatized senator that had been off to the side took his chance to run, screaming in terror as he zoomed by the fight. The man was out the door and down the hall within seconds, his terrified yells growing quieter in seconds.

"_Three: allow the senator to leave unharmed. Completed. Now completing… Four: take the mercenary Black Thorn hostage._"

Black Thorn threw another punch forward, but instead of dodging, the android caught it swiftly. The girl released a surprised yelp as she was pulled forward. The android bear-hugged Black Thorn, oblivious to her swears and curses as she struggled to become free from her captor. Again and again, Black Thorn yelled, "We're allies, Drone! We're allies! What are you doing?!"

"_Four: take the mercenary Black Thorn hostage. Completed._"

"Add order." Danny said, tilting his head to the side in apparent boredom. Batman couldn't tell that it wasn't boredom at all but detachment and denial of what he was doing.

"_What is my new order?_"

"Five: take Black Thorn to the Hilton Hotel's rooftop."

"_Five: take Black Thorn to the Hilton Hotel's rooftop. Is this my new order, yes or no?_"

"Yes."

"_Order accepted. Now completing… Five: take Black Thorn to the Hilton Hotel's rooftop._" The android responded, lifting Black Thorn farther from the ground. It turned, marching out of the room and into the hall, where people had appeared during the commotion. The audio feed picked up startled gasps and small yelps as the robot passed by the people, the girl still kicking and screaming within its grasp. However, no one made an effort to follow the strange scene, and for that, Danny was grateful.

The android held the black-clad female on the roof until Danny deemed that enough time had passed that Black Thorn would not attempt to save the mission. Danny ordered the robot to allow the girl to run free, pretending not to hear Batman when he told him to keep Black Thorn contained. Danny then ordered the robot back to HQ, and it accepted the order without a moment to spare. The Dark Knight obviously believed they were going to watch the video feed until the robot returned back to its base, but Danny made a show of pretending that the Drone character booted him from the program. In actuality, Danny manually exited out of the programs all at once, giving the illusion that he had been hacked. The black-haired boy feigned disappointment rather convincingly, but Batman didn't seem to be taking the bait. The Dark Knight glared at the young teen, but he let the matter drop, all the same. It would've undoubtedly ended in a fight where all parties would lose. However, Batman vowed that they would come back to the subject one day, when Danny didn't look so utterly hopeless.

As soon as the boy realized the Dark Knight had no intentions of pursuing the issue of his friends for the moment, Danny commented, "At least the disaster was avoided."

"Yes. That's always good." Batman ground out, barely containing the words he wanted to speak. He kept reminding himself the things he wanted to say would come out harsh, and the Dark Knight had already done enough damage for one day. (He had only said _one stupid sentence_, but it had come out _so very wrong_.)

To make up for what he had said earlier, Batman added, "You did a good job, Danny."

Had it been any other day, Danny would've felt overjoyed by such simple words, but today wasn't any other day. The compliment made Danny feel hollow and sick. The boy replied solemnly, "Yeah… Thanks."

For a few minutes, Batman and Danny were uncomfortably silent. Neither knew what to say, if there was anything to say at all. Finally, Batman left with a quiet goodbye, leaving Danny all alone in his hauntingly still apartment. Batman promised himself that he would check on the teen relatively soon, and when he would call later that week, Danny would be abnormally cheery and talkative. It would be just like old times, and yet, something would still feel wrong. For once, Batman wouldn't know what to do to fix the problem and instead, he would go along with the teen's act, pretending as if he didn't feel the wrongness either.

After the Dark Knight left him, Danny did nothing at all, for there was nothing for him to do except wait for the inevitable call he knew was coming. The teen slipped his headset off his head, dropping it to his desk, and leaned back, dragging a hand over his face. With dread filling his stomach, Danny waited.

It took longer than the teen predicted, but it still came, nonetheless. The two names flashed across the screen. Once, Danny would've become excited by the names, accepting them immediately. Now he wondered if it was best to hide instead of face the oncoming onslaught he had signed up for when Batman had crawled through his damn window. However, putting off the problem would not save Danny. His damnation would come soon enough, and thus, the teen begrudgingly accepted the call, hiding his eyes behind his hands out of shame. His simple gesture saved him from viewing his two friends' outraged expressions as they appeared on the hologram, which were only enhanced and enlarged by the hologram's top-notch display quality.

"Hi guys." Danny greeted, his voice sounding meek. It was a drastic change from his usually strong tone, but that detail flew right over Sam and Tucker's head.

"Danny, you better have a _fucking fabulous_ reason for flat-out _destroying_ our gig, and don't you _dare_ say 'because Batman told me to.'" Tucker seethed. If the teen wasn't hiding his eyes, Danny would've undoubtedly shrunk under the other boy's intense, infuriated glare. It rivaled Sam's death stare in intensity. Wait, no. Actually, it was worse than the girl's glare, probably due to the fact Tucker was going to get more out of the gig than Sam would have, had the mission been completed.

The pissed teens waited for Danny to answer, but he wouldn't even look at the two. In an uncharacteristic display, Tucker slammed his fist against the desk in front of him while Sam growled. The dark-skinned boy yelled, "_Damn it_, Danny! What the fuck?! What the actual fuck?! How could you do that to us? And for what? The approval of some damned hero?"

Gathering up the scantest amount of courage, Danny dropped his hand, a serious expression taking over his ashamed one. Calmly, the black-haired boy tried to explain, "It wasn't like that. I tried to get out of it. I did my _best_ to get out of it, but if I didn't do something, he would've stopped you two _himself_! At least with me, you can get away! You can get away every damn time if it's me!"

"We shouldn't _have_ to be able to get away! We should just _go_ because our mission is done! Not because _you _intervened!" Sam snapped, violet eyes blazing dangerously.

"How about next time you tell your Racer buddy not to send death threats to the target so Batman doesn't start getting suspicious! Then I won't have to get involved at all! And, you know what? If that's how you guys feel about me saving your asses, what would you rather I do? Please tell me because I'm all ears!" Danny yelled back, suddenly standing up and widely gesturing to the window that the black-clad hero had disappeared through forever ago. Danny's eyes flashed green, but if Sam or Tucker noticed, they didn't care.

"Oh please, Danny! There was always a way out of every scenario! It doesn't matter which way you look at it; there was _always_ a way out! But instead, you've become so attached to Batman that you've sold us out every damn time he asked! Every damn time!" Tucker yelled.

Danny opened his mouth to retort, but there was nothing to say. Anything he said would've been a lie to make himself seem innocent. Tucker was right. There had always been a way out, either by omission or redirection, but Danny had gone and said something anyway, deciding he would rather take a chance that his friends would buy whatever he said instead of letting Batman down.

The black-haired teen's fiery disposition extinguished seconds after Tucker spoke. Danny's shoulders slumped, his outstretched arm dropping to his side. His head dropped, and unable to meet either of his friends' eyes, Danny stared at his desk instead, unseeing to the cluttered mess spread across it. There was nothing to say, so Danny kept his mouth clamped shut. It was obvious in his form that he was admitting defeat, and that probably upset Sam and Tucker the most. Danny was giving up, silently admitting they were right, when the two of them had been so desperate for the teen to snap back and give them unarguable reasons for his actions. But no, Danny knew what he had done it, and he was owning it, plain and clearly.

Most of Sam and Tucker's fire depleted at Danny's defeat. Tucker took off his glasses, dragging his hands across his tired face. Sam sighed inaudibly before saying, "Look Danny… Tucker and I love you. We've been family for years now, and there's nothing that can erase that. But if you keep going this way with Batman, I don't think we'll be able to stay family anymore."

The call ended on that painful note, not only driving a sword into Danny's heart but into Sam's and Tucker's as well. This was, as they say, a family matter. Things were changing, and there was nothing any of them could do to stop it, no matter how much they wished they could. When the smoke cleared at the end of the journey, the trio was either going to be stronger from the experience or they were going to be destroyed. At this point in time, however, it was impossible to say which outcome would be the one to change the trio.

Danny was the only one to hold the power to fix things, and he should've been hopeful about it. Sam and Tucker were giving him a chance to use that power; they were giving him a light at the end of the tunnel, except that light felt like the headlamp of an oncoming express train.


	9. 1000 Yesterdays Ago

Ch.9: 1000 Yesterdays Ago (or Your Tomorrow Will Come)

Collapsing into the chair in front of his desk, Batman released a long sigh. It had been a long week for both the Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne, and this was probably the first time in days that Batman felt like he could just _breath_. Up until now, it had been a constant race to get things done, to get to all sorts of places in time. It had the Caped Crusader wound up and tense, and to calm down from the constant adrenaline high, Batman decided to get some long overdue research out of the way.

Turning on his large computer, the Dark Knight reclined in his chair a little, soaking up the quiet atmosphere of the cave. Echoing off the walls were the calls of the resident bats, and the computer hummed softly in the background. It was white noise. Often times, Batman forgot the sounds existed at all, but for some reason today, they were soothing.

It was all too soon when the computer booted up, the familiar desktop coming to life on the screen. Batman leaned forward, typing leisurely on the keyboard in front of him. It only took minutes for the Dark Knight to bring up the server Danny had been looking at a week or two ago, the server that belonged specifically to Las Vegas' biggest orphanage. It was easy enough to tap into the files, and carefully, Batman began searching through them, scanning the labels for the name of the teen he believed he knew well. It took longer than Batman had hoped to finally find the name, and it was rather depressing seeing how many names were listed. So many kids had been put into the system, all because a parent or guardian was incapable of meeting the child's needs, they had no interest in raising a kid, they were scumbags that didn't appreciate their children enough, or they were dead. Batman wondered which case Danny fell under, feeling something twist in his gut at the thought.

(Please, out of all the reasons Danny could've been put into the system for, don't let it be that his parents hadn't wanted him or had been terrible people. To think that everything that the boy had become could've been avoided by a simple decision of the parents just seemed cruel.)

After a good ten minutes or so, the Dark Knight finally came across Danny's name, and it took little effort to crack open the seal around it. Apprehensively, Batman began scrolling through the file, reading thoroughly through the extensive timeline locked away inside.

The first thing to pop up was the most recent picture of Danny social services had, which was years old by now. In the photo, Danny looked to be around ten-years-old, and the Dark Knight was taken aback by the sheer _misery_ the child's face was in. There were kids that hated having their picture taken, Batman knew, but Danny looked as if he was going to, honest to God, _maul_ the person taking the photo. His lips were turned into a staunch frown, and his blue eyes were darkened with malice. A small hand clutching a meat-clever would not be out of place in the photo. That was _not_ how a child should look. _At all._

Feeling apprehensive by what he would find, Batman scrolled past the intimidating photograph and continued on to what the Dark Knight had originally come for: the information.

The first thing recorded in the file was that Danny had not originally been placed in the state of Nevada's custody. Actually, it was the state of Illinois that had taken Danny from his home. The boy had been born and, for the most part, raised in Amity Park, a small town nestled snugly in Illinois. However, the report gave no reason as to why the boy had been moved such a great distance. Batman hoped it was mentioned somewhere else as his eyes moved further down the page.

The next thing the file had to offer was Danny's birth parents names: Jack and Madeline "Maddie" Fenton. Fortunately, the two had been loving parents and had never lain a hand on their child. For the first few years of Danny's life, he had been a normal, happy child. Unfortunately though, Jack and Maddie had never been truly financially sound, and it had all fallen apart when Danny was four-years-old. This financial ruin had been the reason social services had stepped in, and though the Fenton parents had done their best to correct their mistakes, it was much too late to rebound from. Maddie and Jack were lucky, though. The state of Illinois was kind. They agreed to only foster Danny out, giving the parents the chance to regain custody of their child again. It would undoubtedly take a long time for that to happen, considering how far they had fallen, but it was better than nothing.

It was immediately apparent how the two parents had so totally destroyed their financial stability: Jack and Maddie were both _paranormal scientists_. (The irony was physically painful.) For a long time, their only source of income had been Maddie's daytime job, but when Danny was three and a half, she quit to focus on the subject she and her husband majored in. It was mere months before that plan crashed and burned, and Maddie had to return to work. However, by then, it was much too late to gain back what they had lost.

It was a shame. After some research, Batman would find that both parents were near geniuses, and it would have been easy for the two of them to major in fields that were worth working for and paid well. However, the Dark Knight knew they had already experienced the consequences of their decisions in the most painstaking way possible. There was no reason to think any worse of them, especially since their _second child_ could've been separated from them as well.

It took a few rereads, but Batman came to terms with the fact that Danny had an older sibling. He had a sister, to be exact, and she was a staggering _fifteen years older_ than he was. Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton's age was the only thing that had kept social services from taking her too. When Danny was four-years-old, Jazz was nineteen. She was legally an adult and had already finished one year of college at Yale, where she had been given a full ride. Jazz aspired to be a psychologist, and most found her more competent than her parents. However, for all her intellect and maturity, there had been nothing Jazz could do to save her baby brother from the state.

It was indeterminable how many times Batman read that section of the report. Oh sure, it had always been a possibility that Danny might have siblings. However, actually having confirmation of such a thing was very different from merely speculating the idea.

Batman wondered if Danny had any clue that he had a sister. He had been very young when he was taken from his home, and for the most part, Jazz had been gone for one of those years. Would he have any memories of her, or would Jazz just be a distant picture Danny could never quite make out?

He would be lying if the Dark Knight said his thoughts didn't disturb him. To avoid continuing his line of thinking, Batman scrolled down, reading the new content. He found that it was more descriptive than the first piece, for it described Danny's time in the custody of the state. It was a fruitless thought, but Batman hoped that he wouldn't find too many displeasing things in the text. The man became disheartened quite quickly.

The files read that, for the first few days of his stay at his new home, Danny had been fine for a kid who had just been taken from his parents. He played with the other kids, complained very little, listened to the adults, and went to preschool like normal. The fact that going home was not an option had not sunk in for the little boy. However, it was on the fourth day that, _out of nowhere_, little Danny became a _depressed recluse_. The playful boy refused to engage with others, all but ignored the people in charge of his care, and stopped eating because he 'wasn't hungry.' This sudden change in personality startled many of the volunteers, and one of them finally had the gall to ask him what was wrong. The file quoted Danny as crying as he said, "I'm not going to see Mommy and Daddy ever again."

No one ever found out how this idea squirmed into Danny's head so quickly and so harshly. Many of the adults suspected some of the meaner kids in the orphanage had said something to him, but no one was ever able to prove anything.

The volunteers did all they could to cheer the young boy up, but nothing any of them did could lift Danny's spirits. His weight began to quickly drop, and the boy's dwindling energy caused restlessness amongst the many adults working with the children. The boy had barely been there for a week, but many of the workers and volunteers had begun talking with the group that actually ran the orphanage. They begged with their superiors to allow the Fenton parents to see their child, but it became immediately apparent to Batman that the people in charge at the time were _heartless dicks_. They denied all the requests, claiming that Danny had to adjust to his new life. If anyone were to try and go around their orders, they were in danger of losing their jobs. The many workers begrudgingly refrained from calling the Fenton parents to come soothe their child.

For the next few weeks, a few of the volunteers banded together to ease Danny's suffering as much as they could. However, much like the boy was now, Danny proved to be very unpredictable. Some days, he seemed to be ok; not great, but better than he had been. Other days, though, Danny would erupt into waterworks, and nothing was capable of calming him. The executives running that specific orphanage claimed it to be Danny 'adjusting.' The volunteers had more…aggressive…descriptions for Danny's emotional state.

(Though having never met them, Batman respected the volunteers greatly for all the work they did with Danny in an attempt to help him.)

Despite it taking much longer than it should've been, Danny's up-and-down moods eventually balanced out. He was not the same kid that had been dropped off at the facility, but at least the volunteers didn't feel as if they had to constantly watch him, should Danny suddenly take a turn for the worst. It was a small time after this that the boy's social worker (who had also been doing her share of work to soothe Danny's dilemma) decided it would be alright for him to be fostered out.

The first couple of homes went without much incident, and Danny stayed with each of them for a year or more. However, the boy had a few weird quirks that greatly exasperated each of the foster parents. For example, the boy became rather interested in computers, finding all sorts of things he should _not_ have been finding at such a young age. Danny's developing hobby would not have been so startling, had the cops not showed up a couple of times because of some of the things Danny did. Also, it seemed that, somewhere along the line, Danny found out that he liked to take all sorts of things apart and put them back together. And it was not endearing when he did it, mostly because he dismantled things that didn't need dismantling. Like the toaster or the lawn mower. Plus, a lot of the time, things did not come together they way they were designed to be built. This resulted in many minor accidents. No one had ever been hurt in any of these accidents, but the older Danny got, the more startling and dangerous the accidents became.

It was around this point in the file's timeline that Batman could see the boy's mean streak starting to manifest. It was startling to see how young Danny was when he started turning into the teen that the Dark Knight knew, but then, the Danny he knew now was young too. It was unfortunate that the boy's childhood had gone to waste. People only got one of those, and Danny had unintentionally thrown away his.

For the most part, the first two homes Danny had were fine, despite the few incidents here and there. However, when the boy was seven and sent to live with the third home, it was obvious things were different with him. He seemed to set out on a quest to make his foster family's life as miserable as possible in the subtlest ways possible. Danny placed viruses on the family's computer repeatedly, took bigger pieces of machinery apart when he found it convenient, and released his snarky attitude upon the world. Danny's teachers frequently called his foster parents in for 'chats.' The foster family had to call the boy's social worker, asking for help with his newfound attitude. However, given the opportunity, Danny jumped at the chance to falsely accuse the mother of abusing him. The investigation that followed the accusation completely uprooted the family, and when it turned out that nothing had actually happened, Danny was reprimanded harshly. However, it didn't seem that he cared. The boy made similar accusations with other families.

When Danny was eight-and-a-half, the boy's social worker refused to foster him out for a time. The boy's behavior was not only troublesome, but it was starting to concern the woman in charge of Danny. During those few months at Amity Park's orphanage, the boy was forced to speak with a shrink. It was no good, though. Danny never opened up, and his behavior never improved. The boy's record made many reluctant to foster or adopt the boy, which increasingly worried Danny's social worker. She loved children and couldn't stand to think of the boy growing up in the orphanage until he turned eighteen, but the woman also realized that fostering or adopting Danny out was becoming a danger to the kind people who applied for custody.

(By this time, Jack and Maddie's financial situation hadn't improved much, so the executives of the orphanage decided to retract their previous agreement. If the Fentons did dig their way out of ruin, then great. They could still regain custody. But if the boy was adopted before then, the Fenton parents would lose their chance completely.)

Around the time Danny was nine-and-a-quarter, the boy's newest foster family found they could not handle the little ball of violent sunshine as they had previously thought. It was the boy's shortest home, as he had only stayed for a messy four months, but the hardest part about it had been that the family lived in Las Vegas. While Danny had traveled before to different states, he had never been so far away from his hometown, and it had been very rough on the boy. The social worker knew that she would never let Danny be fostered out so far away from Amity Park again, but when she had tried to get Danny on the plane to go back home, the boy had surprised her. Just as they were supposed to get on the plane, Danny told his social worker, word for word, "I'm not getting on another damn plane, and you can't make me. You'll just put me on another plane anyway because no one seems to want me, so what's the point?"

In the end, the poor social worker was unable to get Danny boarded in time for their flight, and the woman didn't manage to get him on the plane with her for the next three flights she booked. Danny went through great lengths to make sure they couldn't leave, even going as far as to cut the transmission and brakes in the rental car.

(The file had quotes from the officer that asked Danny why he had done such a thing. If the transmission hadn't been cut and the brakes had been, both the social worker and Danny could've been killed. Danny had, apparently, seemed unconcerned when he answered, "My only target was the transmission. The brakes were an accident." When asked how the boy knew which wires to cut, Danny smirked darkly and replied, "YouTube, of course. You can find anything on that site. It's great for coming up with ideas.")

And that was how Danny came to be in the Las Vegas orphanage. He didn't stay there for long, though. Not long after the boy turned ten, he vanished, sending the entire staff of the orphanage and his social worker into panic. Amber Alerts had been sent out, flyers went up, and Danny's face had been everywhere for awhile. The longer he was gone, though, the more people began to believe he was gone for good. Many gave up and moved on with their lives.

It was really unfortunate that Danny disappeared around that time, too. Batman read that Jazz had attempted to gain custody of her baby brother. However, she had been just days too late. The boy was gone, and no one knew what had happened to him.

Over the following years, though, Danny occasionally popped up a few times a year. He was usually found because he had been arrested; however, now and then, someone who had seen the boy on the news would catch him too. Often times, he was outside the city of Nevada and was shipped back repeatedly. No one was able to keep him contained for long, though. As soon as Danny had been found, he was gone again, and with each time, his absences grew longer. The last documented recapture (for that's what it was) was recorded when Danny had just turned sixteen. It'd been over a year since the teen had been caught, even though Batman knew he had been arrested numerous times since then. It seemed the orphanage was tired of taking him back just as Danny was tired of going back.

The records were coming to an end, but they ended on an interesting note. Though it hadn't been very prominent too much, Danny still went through depressed spells as he got older. However, this was usually hidden by his snarky attitude, so not many caught onto it.

After that last random note, there was nothing else to read. Batman leaned back in his seat as he finished reading, rubbing his sore eyes as he sighed. He felt more enlightened on Danny's situation than he had before, but the Dark Knight felt no closer to understanding Danny. All it had told him was that Danny started out as a child with severe separation anxiety that had grown into a mean, off-putting, slightly apathetic teenager. This did not tell Batman why Danny's morals were so fickle when it came to certain situations.

For some time, Batman lounged in his seat and thought about what to do. He was still as he thought, ideas coming and going as steadily as Danny's moral obligations. However, one crazy, little idea stuck, and while it wouldn't fix anything current, Batman wondered if it might help Danny grow. He debated with himself, but the teen was so up and down, it was impossible to tell if Danny would go along with it at all.

In the end, there was only way to find out. Batman got up and headed for the hanger.

* * *

The ebony-haired boy bobbed in his seat to his one of his favorite songs, gnawing on a chicken tender from his dinner as he moved along to the beat. Absently, Danny tapped now and then on his keyboard, his blue eyes flickering amongst his holograms with little interest. It was strange for the teen to be so disconnected from what he declared as his "baby," but then, Danny's beloved creation was giving him a lot of grief lately. Even the most attached of people would find they needed distance in a time such as this.

Finishing up the last of his dinner, Danny turned around to trash the styrofoam container it had come home in. However, he paused before rising from his chair. The teen looked between his visitor and the open window, his expression twisted into exasperation. Danny asked, "Do I have to say it?"

"Hello to you too, Danny." The Dark Knight replied, his voice emotionless and face.

Danny rolled his eyes and got up, quickly passing Batman and trashing the styrofoam in his hands. He continued to the fridge, opening it and looking inside. As he pulled out a dented water bottle, Danny asked, "So, what do you want from me today, Bats, and more importantly, will it allow me to scare someone pants-less?" The teen shot his supervisor one of his dark grins and said, "Please tell me I'm allowed to scare someone pants-less today."

Batman suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as he mumbled, "How I never tire of his everlasting compassion and unselfish love…" His attention focusing on the teen, the Dark Knight continued, "Actually Danny, I'm here on personal business. I wanted to ask you something."

Interest peaked, Danny rubbed his hands together as he slipped past Batman, flopping down in his chair. Leaning back casually, Danny's eyes sparkled innocently as he said, "You came all this way to ask me one, stupid question? Oh, how touching!" The devious grin returned in an instant. "This should be good."

The Dark Knight hesitated for a moment, perking the teen's interest more. There wasn't much that could keep Batman from blurting out what he wanted to say. Danny waited for a few more seconds, feeling impatience growing inside him. The boy opened his mouth, asking, "Bats, what do you-"

"Danny, would you like to meet your biological parents?"

"-want…" The teen trailed off, blinking stupidly at his supervisor. Batman waited patiently for Danny to respond, but the teen wasn't totally sure he had heard the Dark Knight right. It took a moment for him to reply with a broken, "…_huh?_"

Hiding his sudden remorse for bringing the subject up, Batman repeated his question. "Would you like to meet your biological parents?"

It's like the Dark Knight hadn't spoken at all. The deer-in-a-headlight look stayed securely fit to the boy's face, his shoulders slumped. Danny barely blinked, and when Batman looked closer, he wondered if the boy was even _breathing_. It was as if time had shattered, leaving Danny trapped forever in the moment.

Batman almost reached forward to land a hand on Danny's shoulder, but the boy suddenly looked to the side, where his least favorite hologram was flashing. Danny spared it a quick glance before looking at the floor, conflicted and still trying to process. His mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again. For a few moments, he went deathly still once more. Danny's blue eyes wouldn't meet the Dark Knight's as his subdued voice asked, "How did you even find them?"

"Your file was very…interesting." Batman said hesitantly.

Danny's face twisted into a dark expression. He mumbled, "I should've known you were going to look at it sooner or later…"

"Someone might as well have since it was obvious you weren't going to." Batman said. His voice was emotionless, but it almost seemed like the comment was meant to be a snap. The boy glared at the Dark Knight silently in reply before looking away, studying the ground instead. Batman said, "Look Danny, no one's making you do anything. If you have no interest in seeing them, then you don't have to. I was just seeing if you wanted to or not."

The teen sighed, rubbing his temples as he wondered what to do. He was torn in a million directions. Part of him knew he should've been happy to hear his parents were alive, but that posed questions as to why they had left him. He was dying to know the answers but was terrified as well. Danny wanted to ask Batman, but he knew the Dark Knight wouldn't answer, wouldn't want to sway the teen's decision.

Hesitantly, Danny asked, "If I say yes, where will you be in all of this?"

If Batman was surprised by the answer, he didn't show it. "I'll be wherever you need me to be."

Despite the storm still raging inside of him, Batman's words gave Danny a small sense of peace. Though the boy was treading in uncharted territory, the Dark Knight was willing to be a rock the teen so desperately needed.

With an apprehensive sigh, Danny got and crossed his arms uncomfortably. His face set into grim determination, the boy said, "Alright. Let's do this."

Batman nodded and turned, walking towards the window. Abnormally silent, Danny followed after him without complaint. The Dark Knight led the boy to the roof, climbing the fire-escape without a problem. Danny found no problems trailing behind, and within minutes, the two were seated comfortably inside the Batplane, rising from the apartment building's rooftop silently.

The ride was silent. Batman found it unnerving and frequently glanced back at his passenger, who remained eerily still and quiet. Danny was always looking out the window, eyes glazed over as he wandered hopelessly in his thoughts. It was unlike the teen, and despite how much the Dark Knight disliked Danny's overbearing personality sometimes, Batman wished the teen would pester with him questions and mockeries. He didn't voice his thoughts, though; it wouldn't have made a difference anyway.

The hours crept by painstakingly slow for the Dark Knight. Danny hardly noticed them, however. He was caught up in all of his unanswered questions that he was jostled when they landed, despite how smooth the descent of the jet was. The boy rubbed his dry, itchy eyes as Batman powered the plane down. Danny began unbuckling his seatbelt as the top of the Batplane opened, the Dark Knight already climbing out of the large contraption. Batman paused as he got out and looked back down at Danny, who stared emotionlessly up at him. The black-clad man asked, "Are you ready?"

"Something like that," Danny answered. Though Batman was unconvinced, he didn't argue the point.

As Danny landed on the rooftop of some sort of facility (he would later see the sign that blazed "Axion Labs"), the white rings erupted around his waist, transforming him into Graveyard once again. Batman nodded at the teen for his thinking ahead and then took off, running towards the edge of the rooftop and shooting his grappling gun to a nearby building. The teen followed behind, flying easily.

Besides the thunder rolling in overhead, the two's journey was relatively quiet. This time, Batman didn't mind it. At least when he was hopping across rooftops, the Dark Knight could pretend he was back in Gotham City, on patrol with any of his partners. However, to his shock, Batman was drawn out of his pretending when the flying, white-haired boy asked, "What city is this?"

Batman glanced at the glowing boy and answered, "This is your hometown, Amity Park."

Danny snorted and rolled his eyes. Dryly, the boy commented, "If this is my home, why haven't I decided to move back, huh?"

The Dark Knight didn't answer.

The pair continued until Batman gestured for Danny to stop, standing on the edge of a rooftop. The teen complied and looked where the Dark Knight was gazing. Danny groaned as he stared at the townhouse across the street. He had been able to see it for quite some time and over a great distance, all because there was an ops-center resting on top of it. From the first glimpse, Danny knew that's exactly where he and his supervisor were headed, but he'd been lying to himself up to this moment.

"Let me guess… That's where my parents live?" Danny asked irritably, receiving a cut nod in reply. The boy sighed but could not shake the feeling that the giant ops-center was the slightest bit familiar somehow.

_("Mommy, what's that thing on the roof?" – "It's…a really big spaceship, Danny." – "Really?" – "Of course, Sweetheart!" – "That's so cool!")_

For a few minutes, the duo stood atop the townhouse across from where the boy's parents lived. Danny seemed hesitant to leave the rooftop. Batman wanted to say something, maybe assure the boy, but the man didn't want to seem like he was being pushy. The boy had to do this in his own time. Going too soon wouldn't result in anything good.

(But who was to say that now wasn't too soon?)

"If things go south, you're still going to be here, aren't you?" Danny asked, glancing at the Dark Knight from the corner of his eye. His arms were crossed over his chest again, looking rather defensive, as if he felt someone was going to attack him. The teen flinched a little when another roll of thunder rumbled.

Batman nodded again, hoping to soothe the boy with his action. "I might wander around a little, but yes, I'll be here if things don't go as planned."

Danny nodded, but he still wouldn't leave. It worried the Dark Knight, how apprehensive Danny was. He could understand the fear Danny had of finding out the reason his parents had left him so early on in life, but the unsettling thing was that Danny seemed to have come to the conclusion that giving his parents a chance wasn't a good idea. However, Danny _needed_ to give his parents a chance. He _needed_ to have the opportunity to heal and patch up his damaged self.

(But how was Danny supposed to recover when he didn't even know something was wrong?)

Lightning streaked across the sky before a loud _BOOM _rolled through the area. The duo looked up at the very last moment, just as rain began pouring from the sky. Batman looked away from the sky a second later, but Danny remained staring, transfixed and still lost amongst his thoughts. Being uncharacteristically gentle and light, Batman asked, "Are you ever going to down there?"

Danny snapped out of his musings and shot a glare, despite how soft the Dark Knight's voice had been. With a huff, the teen stepped off the side of the building, floating gently down to the deserted sidewalk below. As his feet hit the pavement, Danny allowed himself to transform back to human, unconcerned if anybody saw him. The teen meandered across the street, the puddles splashing as he walked through them. The rain soaked his hair, soaked his skin, soaked his clothes until they clung desperately to his form. The discomfort didn't even register, though. All the boy could think about was the front door of his parents' home, dread filling his stomach as it continued to get closer. The entrance just kept getting closer and closer _and closer_-

He was standing in front of the steps. When had he gotten that close to it? Why had his legs brought him this far? Better question, _how_ did his legs bring him this far? They were feeling pretty weak right about now…

The boy climbed the steps to the front stoop and knocked on the door without thinking about it. The overhang kept any more rain from soaking Danny further, but he didn't notice this either. His eyes were locked on the front door as he waited apprehensively for someone to answer. His sensitive ears could hear someone's muffled voice say, "Coming," and their footsteps padding across the floor. They came closer to the door steadily, and Danny could feel his heart pounding throughout his entire body. He could hear his blood rushing as the doorknob jingled, drowning out the sounds of the pouring rain. The door began to open and-

Time stopped.

The teen couldn't breathe as he looked upon the familiar woman's face as she looked him up and down curiously. Danny recognized the bob of orange hair, and he remembered the woman's gentle, violet eyes. The teen remembered the secure way she held herself, and he certainly remembered the soothing aura that hung over her. She was exactly the same person that had left him all those years. The teen studied and remembered everything vividly as the woman's eyes widened upon seeing the teen, her hand flying up to cover her open mouth. She mumbled, "Oh my gosh, it's…"

His breath returned to his lungs. The shock and amazement washed away in a flood, becoming instantly replaced by a look of hurt and despair. The look tore at Maddie as her son brokenly said, "You told me you'd come get me."

"…Danny." Maddie choked, her eyes misting up. She swallowed hard before taking a shaky breath. For a moment, she seemed at a loss of what to do, but then she impulsively reached out, trying to brush some of Danny's dripping hair from his eyes with her fingertips, if only to assure herself it was really her boy standing on her front stoop. However, Danny pulled back as his mother's fingers brushed against his skin, his expression still twisted into a look of forlorn hurt. Maddie's hand retreated, just as hurt by her son's actions as hers were for him but understanding also glistened in her eyes. Danny failed to see his mother's resignation, though.

Studying the welcome mat at his feet, Danny angrily mumbled, "Who else would I be, unless you decided to leave some other kid all alone too?"

Maddie visibly flinched at Danny's words. The boy wanted to feel victorious at the damage he'd managed to inflict- after what she had said to him, Maddie deserved it –but instead of helping him, Maddie's reaction only worsened his already sour mood. Danny was sad and angry and wounded, and he didn't know why he had thought this would help him at all. What was he supposed to gain from all of this? There was nothing _to_ gain, and this fact only led the boy to another question: Why had he been stupid enough to say 'yes?'

The rain continued to pour down behind Danny, and thunder rumbled lowly. Maddie suddenly became hyper-aware of the weather, pulling her thin cardigan around her frame tightly. She couldn't imagine how cold her son was, standing outside in the biting breeze, soaked to the bone as he was. Maddie was surprised Danny wasn't shaking uncontrollably as she moved aside, ushering him indoors. She said, "Come inside, Danny. You must be freezing."

(He really wasn't, Danny wanted to tell her. He was completely numb and had been for the last few minutes. The teen didn't mention this, though, and he wasn't entirely sure why.)

Danny stepped inside the doorway, the drastic change in temperature becoming immediately apparent. Maddie told him that she'd be right back with a towel as she hurriedly wandered off, leaving Danny all alone in the foyer, drenched and dripping.

The moment alone allowed the teen a chance to study the house. The thing that hit him first was the scent lingering in the air, already adding to the welcoming atmosphere embedded into the house. It was a scent Danny could not place exactly but felt familiar, all the same. It smelled like home, he realized. Or, at least, it's what home had smelled like before everything had gone up in flames. Still, as much Danny quietly resented the homey feeling the scent left him, he couldn't deny that it left a hollow feeling aching in his chest, swallowing his heart whole. The teen sighed as his shoulders slumped.

As he tried to ignore the achiness, Danny looked around the living room that the foyer opened up to. The set-up reminded him of Loretta and Chuck's living space. Danny guessed a lot of people did it then, his eyes roaming absently to the wall on his left side. It was covered in framed photos, and the teen's face scrunched up as he studied the pictures behind the glass.

To his surprise, many of the photos were of Danny as an infant and young child. In every one of them, the ebony-haired boy was smiling and laughing, his blue orbs sparkling with joy. Danny was in every normal setting a child should be in: playing at the park, sitting in his parents' lap, rolling on the floor. Looking at the photos left Danny with a weird feeling he didn't know how to describe. How come he couldn't ever recall being as happy as he seemed to be in the photos?

Amongst the many photos of the black-haired child, there was also a girl. There were pictures of her as a child as well, but she was a lot older in the pictures where she was with Danny. Out of all the photos with her in them, Danny found the most intriguing to be the one where she and toddler-Danny were playing on the ground. The pudgy boy was reaching up, tugging the older girl's hair-band from her orange hair. The girl was smiling indulgently at the younger figure, tilting her head towards Danny to allow him better access to her accessory. Her teal eyes were lit with love as she gazed down at the giggling Danny.

It shouldn't have been such a surprise to see the orange-haired girl, but it was anyhow. Danny did remember her vaguely, sitting in her lap and tangling his fingers in her long, soft hair, but he could never remember how they had been related. She had simply been _there_ every now and then, and Danny had loved her every time she had suddenly appeared out of the blue. Even now, when he couldn't remember the girl's name, he loved her, though he couldn't recall a reason as to why.

As Danny studied the picture, taking in every little detail, Maddie reappeared beside him, draping a towel around his shoulders. The teen glanced at her emotionlessly. He took note of the wrinkles he hadn't seen before now, as well as her graying roots. Apparently, time hadn't left her in a standstill like Danny had originally thought. She had aged, just as he had, and for the first time, the teen noticed that he actually stood taller than the petite woman. The dull ache in his chest thrummed harder with these realizations, and Danny couldn't help but hate that he had missed so much.

Maddie plucked the photo Danny had been staring at from the wall, holding it out to him. The teen gave her another expressionless look before hesitantly taking the frame from her fingers, taking in the details even more. Maddie crossed her arms over her chest as Danny studied the picture. With a faint smile on her lips, Maddie said, "That's you when you were two-years-old. Your sister was seventeen at the time."

Danny's head snapped up from the picture, his startled eyes locking with Maddie's calm ones. The woman raised a curious eyebrow at him as he looked back and forth between the photo and his mother, his mouth trying to form words but none coming to mind. Finally, Danny stammered out, "I-I have a sister?"

Her expression dropping, Maddie replied, "Yes. Your sister, Jazz, is fifteen years older than you. She's thirty-two now, is married, and has two kids." The woman took a moment to sigh before adding, "Jazz adored you, Danny. She tried to claim custody over you about eight-years-ago, but you had disappeared, falling completely off the grid. It just about broke her heart."

The teen ducked his head, hiding his clenched jaw. Tears threatened to spill out of his eyes, but Danny blinked rapidly, willing them away. It was a struggle to keep breathing evenly. Hell, it was a struggle to keep breathing at all. Through clenched teeth, Danny mumbled, "She wouldn't have had to do that if you and Dad hadn't decided I wasn't worth it."

Maddie staggered back a step out of horror. The white-knuckled grip Danny had around the picture frame suddenly became obvious, as did the shaking of the boy's shoulders. The woman, breathless and appalled by what her son had implied, said, "Danny, you can't _possibly_ mean that. You can't _possibly_ believe that's what your father and I thought- what we think of you."

"Well, what was else would it be then, _huh?!_" Danny shouted, glaring at his mother so fiercely and so suddenly that she stumbled back another step. The teen's blue eyes were glistening with unshed, angry tears, and Maddie could positively state that she had never seen someone look at someone with so much disdain. Icicles drove into Maddie's chest as her baby boy said, "You just left me at that place with no explanation, no warning, and left me with a lie, to top it all off! And-and you never visited and-and never called or wrote me a letter or-or _anything_! You were there one day and gone the next! I didn't know what was going on, and n-no one would tell me! And it didn't matter how much I prayed to God that I'd see you again, you _NEVER CAME!_"

_CRASH!_

Maddie's hands flew to her mouth as the picture frame shattered against the ground, glass shards flying all over the floor in front of Danny. They _clink-clank_ed melodically as they rolled and bounced. Tears ran down the boy's face in an angry flood as he pointed at the splintered frame and yelled, "You have the _gall_ to ask me if that's what I think when your actions did _that_ to me?! _Hell yes_ I think it, and I'd _love_ to see you try to convince me otherwise!"

Footsteps boomed in the direction of the staircase on the other side of the room as Maddie fell to the floor on her knees, reaching out to gently brush aside some of the glass. A masculine voiced worriedly asked, "What is going on down here?!"

Danny glared at his father as he suddenly came into view, his eyes alight with spite. Maddie's jaw clenched as she slid the photo out from under the broken pieces of the picture frame and glass. The woman's husband slowed his descent as he saw the scene in front of him and more prominently, the dark look he was receiving from the dripping boy in his foyer. Jack slowly asked, "Mads, what's going on? Is everything alright?"

Her voice choked with barely restrained emotion, Maddie ignored her husband's questions and said, "Come say hello to Danny, Jack. I'm sure he'd love to fire something off on you too."

The teen in question twisted his expression into disgust. There was a sharp, sarcastic edge to his voice as he snapped, "Oh, like you guys don't deserve it."

Snapping her head up to glare at her son, the photo clutched tightly in her hands, Maddie said, "Danny, _stop it_ already. I know what we did was wrong, but at the time, it was the best option we had! Unbeknownst to you, your father and I were dealing with a lot of financial issues. If you think it was easy for us to leave you, then you would be very wrong. You'll never come close to understanding how much it hurt to leave you in that retched place, but at least they gave us the chance to get you back when we got back on our feet."

"And you guys took your sweet, precious time with _that_, didn't ya?" Danny snapped. He meant to be angry when he said it, but it sounded more sorrowful than infuriated. The tension in his shoulders was draining out, and the boy slumped miserably, his eyes blankly looking at the glass shards he had compared himself to just minutes before. The boy's hot tears suddenly felt cold on his skin, and Danny gave a shaky sigh, the ache in his chest constricting painfully around his dejected heart.

Maddie's fire subsided as suddenly as Danny's. She got up from the ground and attempted to lay a hand on her son's shoulder. He stepped away from her, unable to meet her eyes as he quietly sobbed to himself. Maddie sighed before holding out the picture in her hands, barely slipping it into Danny's line of sight. "We never meant to tear this apart, Danny, and we certainly never meant for it go on for so long."

"You cheated me," Danny wept. His blue eyes lifted again, and though the angry fire was trying its damn hardest to ignite again, the boy's tears kept drowning it out. "and if you think telling me that it wasn't supposed to happen that way- that it wasn't supposed to go on for so long- takes away the hurt, then you'd be wrong. It may have happened a thousand yesterdays ago, but in the end, it _still happened_. You _still_ lied to me. You_ still_ robbed me of a normal childhood. You still _cheated me_."

From behind, Jack said, "Danny-"

The infuriated fire relit in Danny's eyes, his sorrowful expression quickly reverting back into its previous disdainful one. "Don't! Don't '_oh, Danny_' me! Don't you dare!" The towel dropped from the teen's shoulders to the floor as the boy released it, stepping back from his parents and closer to the door. Maddie, unwilling to let her baby boy go after so many years of suffering through his absence, tried to call him back, reaching out and grabbing Danny's arm. He ripped it away, screamed "FUCK YOU," at the top of his lungs, and threw the front door open. He was out of the exit and down the street in a blink of an eye, and though Jack tried to pursue, Danny was fast, crafty, and gifted.

The teen was gone before either parent could register their heart breaking all over again.

The harsh rain stung Danny's face as he sprinted down vaguely familiar streets and dark alleyways. It was easy enough to get lost within them, and Danny very quickly realized that he seemed to be running in circles. The anger that had been fueling his adrenaline evaporated within minutes, leaving the boy feeling panicked and lost. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know where to go, and all Danny wanted was to go home. However, his ride was nowhere to be seen, and the teen hysterically wondered if Batman had decided to leave him behind too, just like Maddie and Jack.

Danny ran through the dark streets until his legs felt like limp noodles and his heart was ready to explode from his chest. His breathing coming out in quick gasps from his mouth, Danny finally allowed himself to slow to a stop under a streetlamp. The teen collapsed onto the bench beside it, holding his heaving chest in a fruitless effort to ease the aching. Through the biting sting of the rain, Danny choked out a heart-wrenching sob, weeping like the child he had never really been.

For a good ten minutes, the boy held himself as he wept, rocking slowly on the edge of the bench. The aching in his heart could have been from all the running, but Danny knew the pain was really from all the years he had been suppressing this breakdown. How many times had he blown off his feelings, assuring himself that none of it really mattered? That all of it would go away in time, only for it to return again and again?

As the boy took a deep, shaky breath and rubbed his eyes, a hand came to rest upon his shoulder. Danny looked up, coming face-to-face with a concerned Dark Knight. For some odd reason, the sight filled the teen with a sense of relief, and he breathed another sigh before he mumbled, "Hi."

"I guess your visit didn't go as planned." Batman said as he meandered around the bench, coming to sit quietly beside the boy. Danny found the action strange but did not discourage it.

Shaking his head, the boy answered, "Not really…"

There was a pause. Batman watched Danny, waiting for him to open up in his own time, and Danny watched the small stream in front of them. It was almost overflowing from all the pouring rain, and it rushed quickly into the distance, where Danny could not see the end. The boy watched the rippling water for a long time. Then he said, "Can I go home now?"

Batman frowned. "Of course, but is there anything you'd like to talk about first?"

"There's nothing anyone could say to fix this, Bats. So no, there's nothing I want to talk about…"


	10. Forever's Come And Gone

Ch.10: Forever's Come and Gone

_Thunk._

An agitated, haggard sigh left Danny's throat as his forehead met his desk. The stereo on the little table behind him suddenly came back to life, blaring whatever playlist was on today. The boy's arms dangled uselessly at his sides, and Danny stayed limp and lifeless for a few minutes, letting his anger simmer down. As soon as the teen could think clearly, he got up, sighing again as he rubbed his temples irritably.

Why had he thought talking to Sam and Tucker was a good idea? Well, in hindsight, he really hadn't thought it was a good idea, but he had been bored and had been missing his friends for some time. Also, after what had gone down with his parents just a few days before, Danny had been craving any form of positive interaction he could find. Unfortunately, in a life such as his, it didn't come very often. Danny had been left to search for some on his own, but as fate would have it, positive interaction wasn't an option for the day. Nope. Sorry. Try again later.

Uh, why did those two have to make everything so damn complicated? Couldn't they give him even a little leeway? Seriously? Did Danny as a person mean so little to them that they could easily ignore him without remorse?

The teen bit back a growl at that thought, suppressing the hurt he felt at the thought. Danny pulled himself closer to his desk, determined to take his mind off his fiery emotions and not-so-kind thoughts before it had him doing something he would later regret. Danny searched around the Dark-Net for awhile, but everyone seemed was inactive at the moment. This fact only fueled the teen's aggravation, and within a few short minutes, Danny had turned to more extreme means to curb his anger. His excessive ideas led him to hacking the Pentagon, where he began to work furiously at digging up something entertaining. One thing lead to another, and soon enough, Danny was in control of the government's newest RC tank. At the moment, it was being tested out in the middle of a desert, where no civilians would be harmed, should something go wrong in the new installments.

Unfortunately for the soldiers currently stationed at the base, they did not plan out their defense in case the tank starting firing back at _them_.

This is exactly what Danny did. With relative ease, the boy infiltrated the tank's operating system, taking it into his possession. Live video-feed popped up on his screen, and almost in a bored manner, Danny began turning the tank around, willing it to begin traveling back in the direction of the base. The one controlling it at the base did everything in their power to regain control of the tank, but Danny's systems were far superior to the one of the government worker was using. They fought off the would-be hacker with ease, allowing Danny to freely begin his rampage throughout the base.

What few missiles were installed in the tank were not supposed to be armed, but it was relatively easy for Danny to fix that. He fired them off quickly as he approached the government base, efficiently blowing away some of the walls. Though the firing caused the boy to run out of ammo quickly, it was no bother to Danny, who just crawled over the rubble. The teen slowly ravaged the building, uncaring to the horrors he saw on his screen.

Despite the fact that his actions were supposed to be helping his mood, Danny just found more ways to be pissed at his friends. Driving the tank left him with too much thinking room, and Danny used it to the fullest extent, bashing Sam and Tucker as much as he possibly could with as many swears as he could think of. The destruction the tank caused grew with Danny's anger, and if he wasn't so caught up in his own problems, the teen might've realized that he was causing a serious amount of damage to the people on the other side, physically and mentally.

The boy was abruptly pulled away from his desk, and Danny yelped as he nearly sprawled onto the ground, pin-wheeling his arms to keep steady. The chair rolled into the kitchenette, and there, Danny caught himself completely. He turned back to his desk, where Batman was glaring at him as the tank rolled to a stop on the screen. Infuriated, the Dark Knight pointed at the screen accusingly and questioned, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Hm." Danny mumbled, huffing as he rolled his eyes. He began rolling back, but Batman stood in the teen's way from reaching his desk. Danny replied, "I know bats are blind, but I didn't know you were too." The teen shot the Dark Knight a sarcastic look. "What does it look like I'm doing, Bats? Come on, as much as I wish you were, you're not stupid."

Batman turned to the hologram with the unfortunate feed on it, and clenching his jaw furiously, the Dark Knight left the program, bringing the screen back to the Dark-Net's idea of a home page. Pissed but also confused, Batman asked, "What do you get out of destroying government property, huh Danny? I could understand selling the property, but outright demolishing it? How do you benefit?"

"Well… I'm amused." Danny replied, though he had looked anything but amused when Batman had shown up. In fact, he still seemed less than entertained. However, Batman didn't mention this as Danny suddenly smiled in his dark way. "Besides, I should be getting paid to do this sort of thing. By hacking the government, they're going to do everything in their power to make sure another incident doesn't happen. I'm helping it improve its systems from all the terrorists and cyber-bullies!" Danny swung his chair back and forth absently, looking more relaxed than before as he grinned up at the Dark Knight. "It still won't keep me out, though…"

"That's because there aren't many computer geniuses who can keep _you_ out." Batman snapped.

Danny batted his eyes cutely. "You're right. If there were, I wouldn't be able to hack their systems so easily."

In a split second, the Dark Knight had his hand raised to backhand the teen. Danny's swinging abruptly stopped as he stared at the raised hand, waiting apprehensively to see if Batman would actually go through with the unspoken threat. The teen's eyes met the Dark Knight's, and the demand was obvious in the younger's eyes: "Go ahead and smack me. Lash out. Hit me. Do _your absolute worst_, _if you can_."

There was a tense moment where all things stood still. For a moment, Danny really believed Batman was going to take the bait and beat on him. However, the Dark Knight's outstretched hand closed into a fist and slowly lowered to his side. Danny watched it silently, but Batman acted as if it had not happened. The Caped Crusader threateningly said, "If I catch you doing something like this one more time, there's going to be hell to pay."

"'If' is the keyword here." Danny responded challengingly, his eyebrow quirking in a way that asked, 'Are you going to be here to stop me next time? And if you are, what could you possibly do to _me?_'

The Dark Knight had no idea how to answer the second silent question, and he dreaded the idea of having to come up with something. It upset him, how much Danny had reverted to his old ways since he had talked to his parents a few days ago. Batman had no idea what went down- Danny refused to talk about it –but it must've been bigger than the Dark Knight had originally thought. After all, small things didn't send people death-spiraling into their old, bad habits in a few days. Small things didn't need to be hidden by sass and snark, which was more than likely sorrow in disguise.

"Leave the government alone." Batman ordered, trying to keep his exasperation with the boy to a minimum. He didn't want to repeat the mistake he had performed just minutes before.

However, Danny wasn't at all helping as he rolled his eyes and replied, "Hm. Why should I? The government is made up of a bunch of crooks anyway, and isn't what we do together taking down crooks? The way I see it, I'm doing the U.S. a favor."

"Destroying their property is not catching the felons." Batman responded.

"But it _is_ hindering their efforts. Just admit it already. I'm doing something good without your involvement."

"Leave the damned government alone, Danny!" The Dark Knight snapped, causing the boy's expression to drop. The teen pouted like the brat he was being as Batman took a deep breath to calm himself. It helped very little as Batman informed, "Look, I didn't come here to yell at you. I just wanted to see if you could give me some coordinates on a couple of people."

"Yeah, yeah. I figured you wanted as much." Danny huffed, shooing Batman away from his desk. He pulled out a slip of paper and a pen for the moment he had the information his supervisor wanted. "Who am I looking up this time?"

In the background, the stereo softly began singing, "_Spoiled, selfish, little child… Went to play out in the wild…_"

"Can you find where Black Thorn and Drone are hiding?" Batman explained, waiting patiently for Danny to begin delving into his work, as he usually did.

Except this time, he didn't. Danny's eyes erupted into fury at the two names, and he hmphed in a pissed manner. Flippantly, the boy asked, "What do you need to know about those two shitheads?"

"_I found you shaking like a leaf, underneath your family tree…_"

Batman raised an eyebrow at the mean tone Danny used as he spoke of the two, wondering what the boy had against either crook. Up until now, the boy had only been casual when he referred to them and almost seemed protective at times. Now, though, Danny had taken a complete one-eighty. Curiously, Batman asked, "Why do you care?"

"I don't know. Because I'm curious?" Danny sarcastically replied, glaring at the older male out of the corner of his eye. "Why do you need a reason if it's just business, huh?"

The two glared at each other, their strong wills clashing.

"_You could never live out in the open, regretting every word you've spoken…_"

Surprisingly, it was the Dark Knight who caved first. He replied to Danny, "Because they've been such nuisances in the past, I've been monitoring the two very closely over the past couple of months. It seems that Black Thorn and Drone are up to no good again, as they've been in contact with each other quite a bit lately. I want to stop the two of them before they have a chance to break any more laws."

Danny shrugged at the Dark Knight before writing quickly across the scrap of paper in front of him. Seconds later, he handed it to the bewildered Batman, saying, "Here you go."

"You… Already know where they're stationed?" Batman asked, his voice betraying the slight distrust he held. If it bothered Danny, though, he didn't show it.

"Yup. Those little bastards have been grating my nerves lately. I was planning on getting them back relatively soon." Danny explained, his eyes lighting up angrily again as he thought about the two's offenses. His fists clenched without realizing it.

The Dark Knight didn't miss the quiet gesture, and he wondered if he should bother to ask the teen what the two had done. However, a second later, Batman told himself not to bother. Danny would never talk to him, not that way. Thus, the Caped Crusader mumbled a thanks before leaving through the window. Left behind, Danny turned back to his holograms, mumbling, "They deserve it…"

It took a few minutes, but eventually, Danny realized what he had done. His anger evaporated within seconds, and he stood up abruptly, knocking his chair away from. He covered his face as he screamed, "_What did I just do?!_"

"_When you break, it's too late for you to fall apart. And the blame that you claim is all your own fault…_"

Frightened and panicked, Danny quickly dialed up his two friends' numbers on his hologram. All the sounds in his apartment abruptly fell silent, leaving Danny hyper-aware of the ringing, the ringing that was buzzing much too slowly for him to feel safe. Impatiently, the teen bounced in his spot, waiting anxiously for his two friends to pick up. Under his breath, Danny mumbled, "Come on, guys… Please be home, please be home, please be home…"

Shortly, both Sam and Tucker finally picked up the calls, looking quite irritated with their friend. They opened their mouths to fire off some sort of lame greeting, but Danny's panic game them pause. Neither teen had ever seen the boy so flustered and terrified in their life. Dropping whatever vendetta they had previously, Sam and Tucker asked, "Danny, is everything ok? Is everything alright? Did something happen?"

"Guys, I-I did something bad." Danny replied, his voice hardly a whisper. Sam and Tucker had to strain to hear him. "I did something really, _really bad_."

The two that the boy had called looked between themselves, bracing themselves for a multitude of things. They had a feeling they knew where this conversation was going, but Sam and Tucker tried their best to give Danny the benefit of the doubt. Tucker held his hands up in surrender and soothingly said, "I'm sure whatever happened can be worked out. Come on, Danny. Tell Uncle Tucker what happened."

"No time, no time." Danny sighed, looking at his clock anxiously as he scratched at his bare arm, as if it itched. His panicked eyes found his friends again as he said, "You guys have to leave your bases. You have to do it _now_. Don't pack anything up that you don't need immediately; you can get all of that stuff later. Meet me at my safe-house as soon as you can, ok? Don't waste a single second, you hear?"

"Danny, what is going-" Sam started, but she was immediately cut off by Danny, who yelled, "_As soon as you can!_ What don't you understand about that?! _GO!_"

The teen hung up on his friends.

"_You've been crying out for forever, but forever's come and gone. You keep begging for forgiveness, but you don't think you've done wrong._"

Danny looked wildly around at his desk, trying to spot things that had to be taken at that moment. His hands moved aside papers and unfinished machinery in a flurry, looking for something hidden amongst the masses. In moments, Danny had tracked down a random flash-drive, which he set off to the side for a moment. He searched for anything else that might be of importance, but nothing nearly as paramount came up in his search. Hoping and praying to God that everything else could be left behind without serious consequences, Danny turned to his laptop and punched in the code that told his computers to wipe every file, document, and search history on the drive. _Permanently._

The boy worried not that all of his work was being erased. Everything was backed up on his flash-drive, so none of his advances would be truly gone. What Danny _did_ worry about, though, was getting the hell out of his apartment before the Dark Knight came back, wondering why Drone and Black Thorn's apartments had been empty and left in a hurry.

As Danny threw on some old civvies he had not bothered to wear in a long time, the teen wondered why-_ oh why?_ –had he had given Batman the coordinates to his friends' homes and bases! Sure, he had been mega-pissed at the two of them, but that was no excuse to give them up like that! Sam and Tucker were _his family_, for crying out loud, and while they hadn't been on the best of terms lately, that was no reason to give them up like that! Oh, why had Danny treated them the same way he would any other common criminal? What was wrong with him?

The drive wipe finished just as Danny snatched up his flash-drive, stuffing it deep into his jean's pocket. The teen took one more minute to look around his small apartment, searching for anything that might be just as important as his flash-drive. Once again, he came up with nothing and prayed that the Dark Knight would forget all about the storage unit in the basement.

"_You've been crying out for forever, but forever's come and gone. My bleeding hands and shaking head…_"

As he passed it, Danny angrily knocked the stereo over. It collided with the floor with a loud _CRASH_. The teen stormed past it, all of his earlier panic suddenly dissipating as quickly as it had swept through him. Danny stalked into the hallway, slamming his apartment door shut behind him and rattling the frame. Without any hesitation, Danny marched towards the elevator, angry tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

It was all Batman's fault. It was the Dark Knight that had decided to show up when Danny was pissed off, and it was him that had decided to ask for Sam's and Tucker's coordinates. Hell, it was Batman's fault that the trio was having problems to begin with! The Caped Crusader had been tearing Danny's life apart left and right, screwing with the only people the teen would ever dare to call family! Sam and Tucker were never going to see it that way, though. Danny knew they were going to rip him a new one, and the boy had Batman to blame for everything.

(Why did he always have to blame someone else? Why couldn't he just own his mistakes and stop running in emotional circles like a headless chicken?)

Without any hesitation and going as quickly as he could, Danny left the apartment complex and began walking down the sidewalk. The boy caught a bus just down the street, and with some money he pick-pocketed from a rude man, he paid his way to the other side of town. Danny got off the bus some blocks from his safe-house and hurried to it as swiftly as he could. When he saw the site, Danny found himself looking around, searching for the familiar flash of a black cape. As far as he could see, though, the Dark Knight was nowhere to be seen, and the teen finished the remainder of his journey, jogging the rest of the way.

The safe-house Danny spoke of was an abandoned garage that had once been a rundown towing company. The small complex was surrounded by a chain-link fence, and there was a steady _crinch-crunch_ from the gravel under Danny's feet as he walked up the path. The teen wandered up to the doorway of the office just off of the garage, crouching down and wiping the gravel away. He was actually surprised when he found his key still hidden close to the spot that he had left it, despite the weather over the years. Getting up, Danny started unlocking the door.

As it would turn out, the door was already unlocked, and the dark-haired boy ended up locking himself out. After a few swear-filled seconds, Danny finally unlocked the door again and had to slam his weight against the door for it to open. As Danny stepped inside of his secondary domain, he swore some more, rolling his aching shoulder as he slammed the door back into place.

The office was bare and dusty, which Danny would would have to work on, but for now, he hadn't gone all this way to see the decoration of one small space. Walking through another doorway, the teen entered the garage hanging off of the office. Inside, amongst his dusty, old equipment Danny knew he was going to have to replace, stood Sam and Tucker, looking weathered and worried. Their anxious expressions washed away Danny's infuriated thoughts in a hurried flood, leaving him feeling guilty all over again. Gulping down the lump in his throat, the black-haired teen wandered to where the two were standing. They straightened as he approached, and Sam immediately asked, "Alright Danny, we're here, just like you told us. What happened that was so bad that you couldn't tell us by normal means?"

It was obvious in their faces that both Sam and Tucker were waiting for the inevitable, but still shining in their eyes was hope. Hope that Danny hadn't done what he was inkling at. Hope that he hadn't gone and screwed up again. Hope that they weren't the lesser of the two options he could've gone with.

Danny's shoulders slumped as he choked out, "I told Batman where your bases were."

_BAM._

Sam's fist shook as it remained connected with the edge of her friend's desk. Her head had suddenly bowed, and though her bangs hid her eyes, they did not obscure the pissed expression on her face. Behind the girl, Tucker growled furiously as rolled his eyes while roughly rubbing his temples, as if he had expected as much from his friend. Anger radiated from both of their shaking forms, and Danny couldn't help the ashamed look that overcame his expression. He opened his mouth to tell them he was sorry- that it would never, ever happen again; he _promised_ this time –but Sam snapped, "_Save it._"

Danny's mouth shut with an audible _click_. For once, the teen didn't have it in him to rebel. He simply waited for his friends to chew him out.

The angry pair glanced at each other, and Danny watched helplessly as they seemed to come to a silent agreement. Sam's eyes found her dark-haired friend's blue orbs again. "We're done, Danny."

The teen boy heard the words, but they didn't click in his mind. Danny's eyes widened in confusion and terror as he stammered, "W-What?"

"We're _done_." Tucker repeated, remorseless and unseeing to the horror that he and Sam had filled him with. "We've had enough of this back-and-forth bullshit you've been pulling, and now you've gone and given away our homes! You've been fucking up _everything_, and since it seems that you're magically immune to every wakeup call Sam and I give you, there's no point in us sticking around. You've obviously made your choice on who is more important in your life."

The black-haired boy scrambled to find some words to assure them that that period was over, that he really wouldn't do such a thing again. He really, truly meant it this time, but it seemed like neither Sam nor Tucker were in the mood to hear it. And it was obvious they were never going to be in the mood, with how eerily calm the two of them were speaking. They had already come up with this decision a long time ago, it seemed, and they had been waiting for Danny to pull another stunt.

But Danny couldn't let them go! They were all he had! He didn't know what he'd do if they left! Unfortunately, it seemed that he was going to have to get used to being alone.

Both teens began to stalk towards the exit while Danny watched helplessly, still gaping like a fish out of water as he tried to call after them. Over her shoulder, Sam called, "Don't contact us again, Danny, not even for business. You've proven to be untrusting in that area too." The two began stalking through the doorway, and before he disappeared from view, Tucker stated firmly, "Goodbye, Danny."

The echo of the closing door sounded final, and as Danny quickly came to realize, it was. Sam and Tucker, the two people he loved with his entire being, had just left him. They'd grown tired of his mistakes, and they'd dropped him, rather quickly too. They were gone, and suddenly, Danny felt like he was four-years-old again, standing anxiously in the lobby of an orphanage as his parents said goodbye and left.

And yet, Danny could not bring himself to be angry at either of the teens. He had done some fucked up shit, and this was the consequence.

Eerily quiet, the teen sat on the ground, leaning against his desk as he pulled his knees to his chest. One sad, lonely tear (just like Danny!) ran down the boy's face as he sat, wondering what on earth he was going to do now that his friends were gone. In Danny's typical way, sadness quickly turned into anger, which was directed at Batman for being the one to get him into the mess in the first place. And to think, the boy had actually enjoyed the Dark Knight's presence, had looked forward to seeing him the same way that he had once looked forward to his parents coming home.

Fists clenching and angry tears running down his face, Danny vowed, "I'm never looking up to anyone _ever again_."

On the other side of the city, Batman looked around the teen's apartment worriedly, wondering what had happened to the boy that usually resided in the space. He looked all around the small apartment, but there was nothing to be had. Not even the computers were on, and the Dark Knight had a feeling that turning them on would be a waste of time. He wondered what had happened, where Danny had gone to, why he had left. The answers came sooner than expected and in a way the Dark Knight had not seen coming.

Danny's apartment key was lying on the desks. The boy never left his room without it. There were a lot of things this could mean, but Batman knew, out of all the options, the reason Danny had left so abruptly.

The boy was letting go of him. He wasn't coming back. He was gone, and the Dark Knight couldn't believe it…

Except that, _yes, he could_.

* * *

_A Year Later…_

The couple chuckled and chatted idly as they began getting ready for bed, drawing back the covers and laying them to rest at the foot of the bed. The husband and wife smiled lovingly at each other in the dim lighting of the lamps, both dressed in nothing but their unimpressive night clothes. The two began crawling into their sides of the bed, slipping under the sheets and getting comfortable, perfectly oblivious to the danger that lurked just beyond their mansion home.

He shouldn't be doing this, Danny knew. This thought always ran through his head whenever he was on a job; he shouldn't be taking part in such tragedies. However, a job was a job, and the teen had long since stopped feeling guilty. If he were being serious, Danny might even recognize that these sorts of things were a little…_fun_. They shouldn't be, of course, but, well… Pleasure was pleasure.

For a few more minutes, the couple laid still under their silk sheets, lying on their sides so they could face their spouse. Despite the soothing atmosphere, though, the two allowed their conversation to come to a close, the woman chuckling as her husband's last note was a tease. The two turned over, reaching out to turn out the lights.

In the next second, Danny had the man's head lined up in his cross-hair of his scope, and the teen prepared himself to shift it towards the woman. His finger tensed on the trigger, and Danny's breathing eased out before stopping in anticipation.

As the lights turned out in the couple's bedroom, the quiet night shattered at the booming clap of a gunshot as it rumbled, _POW! _… _POW!_

* * *

**Song credit goes to: When You Break by Bear's Den.  
**


	11. (Don't) Look Back

Ch.11: (Don't) Look Back

_POW! … POW!_

Lily's eyes shot open and her breathing stopped cold as she listened to the faint thunderclaps die out. The girl's heart thrummed loudly against her chest, drowning out the last of the booming sound from outside. Lily's arms tightened around the teddy bear Mr. No-Knows (named after the fact that the bear didn't seem to know _anything_ when Lily asked), pressing him closer to the young girl's chest in an attempt to ease the fright that had taken hold of her mind and spirit. For a few, painstakingly long moments, Lily could not bring herself to do anything. However, after looking down at the stitched smile of Mr. No-Knows, the child finally mustered up enough bravery to slowly sit up.

The girl's Winnie-the-Pooh nightlight beamed as moonlight shined in from the open window, illuminating the room with a cheerful glow. Looking around, Lily saw nothing out of the ordinary in her room, and no monsters had taken residency in the shadowy corners of her room. The cool breeze blew the pale pink curtains around gently, and Lily could make out her crayons scattered all around a small table near her closed closet. The child's stuffed animals smiled at her from the end of her bed, their smiles inviting her to play with them.

Setting Mr. No-Knows in her lap, Lily frowned. That loud noise had sounded a lot like thunder, which she was deathly afraid of, but there had been no lightning and there definitely wasn't any rain. However, Lily couldn't think of anything else that was capable of creating such a booming, cracking sound. So what had caused the noise?

Hesitantly, Lily turned in her bed, letting her feet dangle loosely over the side. Sliding off, the young girl landed on the carpeted floor with a small grunt, her violet nightgown falling all around her legs. Pulling Mr. No-Knows after her, Lily tiptoed to her bedroom door, stepping carefully over the toys that were left on the floor. When she finally reached her destination, Lily reached up and grabbed the edge of her door-handle. Moments later, the four-year-old peeked her head out into the hallway, looking all around for anything amiss.

However, just as it was with her room, there was nothing strange to be had in the corridor. The only difference was the atmosphere. While the hallway felt magical during the day, like a castle from one of her storybooks, it seemed dreary and deserted at night.

The abandoned feeling lingering over the hallway made Lily hesitant before she stepped out of her room, her small hand leaving the door-knob above her head. Hugging Mr. No-Knows to her chest, Lily began tiptoeing in the direction of her parents' bedroom, her feet padding against the crimson carpet.

She didn't mean to, but Lily glanced out all the tall windows as she passed them. It didn't matter how many of them she passed without incident; Lily expected horrendous and terrifying monsters to be outside every single one of them. She expected clowns with bloody smiles and figures with blank, emotionless masks to be staring at her from behind the clear panes. But there was nothing, and Lily hurried on without incident, her heart still booming against her chest.

It felt like an eternity before Lily managed to reach her mother and father's bedroom. It took some standing on her tiptoes, but the girl grabbed the doorknob and twisted, pushing it forward as she did. The door slowly creaked open, half revealing the small hallway that led further into the room. Lily slipped in, padding softly on the carpet. Relief filled her for a single moment, but it was gone in the next second, nothing more than a fleeting feeling lost to oblivion.

The girl's parents' room was darker than the hallway and much darker than Lily's room, but with the added illumination from the corridor behind her, the young girl could see that her mother and father's bedroom was not as it should be. They should have been lying peacefully in bed, but they half-hung off their respective sides limply. The sheets should have been white, but they were growing dark with each passing moment. It should've just been Lily, Mommy, and Daddy, but another figure stood at the foot of the king-sized bed, an intruder in the three's beloved home.

Lily froze at the end of the small corridor, the dim lighting silhouetting her small frame. She could tell by some sort of sixth sense that the intruder, _he-she-it_, was looking at her, eerily quiet and still. And that's all he did. The intruder looked at Lily, and Lily looked back at the intruder, her expression blank. There was no way to tell, but the young girl had a feeling that _he-she-it _was mirroring her expression.

The child's eyes fled to her parents' cooling bodies. Her hazel orbs filled with tears and though Lily looked back at the intruder, she still weakly called, "Mommy? Daddy?"

As her voice broke the still silence, the intruder began to stalk closer to the girl, _he-she-its _form imposing and closing in. Lily gasped as she dropped Mr. No-Knows to the ground and tried to run. She didn't make it far. The intruder was at her heels in an instant, grabbing her arm girl screamed at the sudden touch, kicking and scratching at the intruder. She expected the intruder to hurt her in some way, but all the intruder did was press a finger to her forehead.

In some ways, what happened after _he-she-it_ touched her was much worse than physical pain.

Lily began freezing up in the intruder's grip as she watched him begin growing. _He-she-it_ grew and grew, _he-she-its_ waist shrinking and shrinking all the while, until the intruder stood wiry and taller than the basketball players Lily's father liked to watch on TV. Tatters of what used to be clothes desperately clung to the figure's frame in shreds. The big fingers wrapped around her forearm elongated, stretching out and the skin tightening around the bones. Blazing, red eyes stared down at Lily, and the intruder's enlarged mouth suddenly grinned. Rows upon rows of jagged teeth gleamed in the moonlight, all in the form of a psychotic grin. A forked tongue slithered out between the uneven rows of fangs, flickering and testing the open air.

Frozen and horrified, Lily stared, her mouth dangling open. She stuttered something incomprehensible, her fighting growing weaker under the crimson gaze. How could she have thought that this intruder was a man or a woman? Why hadn't she been able to see this thing for what it truly was, a hideous _monster?_

A soft whimper came from the girl's lips. The grin on the monster's face grew larger, its eye burning brighter. Lily heard a soft chuckle, and the monster began to bend down, its tongue flickering in her direction. Lily erupted into screams, ripping her arm away from the monster's grip in one harsh jerk. Surprisingly, the monster let her go, and Lily fell onto her backside, screaming as she scrambled back. She slammed into the wall just feet away and curled into a ball, hiding her face as she suddenly burst into a torrent of tears. Mr. No-Knows smiled at her from his spot on the floor, looking dead and empty.

From his spot, Danny huffed as he brushed his ebony hair from his eyes. It made no difference; his bangs fell right back in his line of sight a second later. Danny didn't seem to notice the intrusion, however. He looked down, slipping a silk bag into one of the pockets on his belt and clipping it shut. Unhearing to the young child's cry, Danny walked right past the little girl, walking out into the dimly lit hallway. In just a few minutes later, the teen was waltzing right out the front door, whistling absently. Danny hopped down the front steps and landed with a dull _crunch _onto the gravel pathway.

"Mission complete." Danny mumbled to himself, wandering down the gravel pathway to the paved driveway. Under his feet, the rocks _crinch-crunch_ed. The noise went in and out of one ear, just as Lily O'Keefe's sobbing and screaming did.

The young girl's crying grew fainter the farther Danny walked from the mansion. However, about a hundred feet from the front door, the teen boy jumped when the little girl suddenly shrieked for her parents, calling them again and again in a shrill voice. Danny mumbled a curse at the sudden scare, and despite feeling nothing at all just seconds before, the boy felt a sudden twinge of guilt eating at him.

Danny's steps wavered and then paused. He sighed as he looked into the distance, the road he would soon be driving on lost over the horizon. Despite having built walls around himself exactly for this reason, Danny still felt the remorse eating away at him for the first time in a good, long while. He had heard children sobbing before, but the young girl's wailing was absolutely heart-wrenching. Danny tried to tell himself that it was affecting him because of how the girl's feelings were just pouring out of her. However, the teen knew the real reason: he'd been in her place before. Danny knew what it was like to have one's parents suddenly vanish from their life.

Without meaning to, Danny began turning his head back in the mansion's direction. His frown was contemplative, and the boy debated with himself if he should go back or not. There was no fixing what he had done, Danny knew, but that didn't mean that he couldn't try to fix his mistakes. He could help soothe the poor girl's plight, help her until someone else came around and gave her some professional help. It was the least he could after what he had done.

Sighing again, Danny started turning around before he abruptly halted, his mind whispering, "_We'll pick you up soon. I promise._" What little bit of compassion had ignited in the boy extinguished within a second, his calm expression morphing into one of anger and disdain. The boy huffed, stalking back down the driveway without another thought. Under his breath, he mumbled, "Fuck it."

The rest of the walk went without incident or hesitation. Danny constantly faced forward, never looking back (but then, he never did that for anything). His expression was emotionless, and though he was all too aware of it earlier, Danny didn't seem to notice when the little girl's crying died off. Many would think that Danny should've felt some sort of relief, but there was nothing to indicate he cared in the slightest.

There was a point in the driveway that became surrounded by woods, and it was around this point that Danny started to pull off of the driveway. Instead, he headed for the trees, where a black, Yamaha 250cc sport-bike with green wheels was waiting. It was facing the driveway, waiting to be rocketed in the direction of the main road. Beside it, there was a rifle leaning against the log the teen had used as a post.

Danny padded across the grass. He grabbed the rifle first, lifting it off the ground with relative ease and slinging the firearm over his shoulder. He strapped it across his chest, and once again, Danny found it uncomfortable against his back. He preferred smaller guns, ones that were more easily concealed, which was why the rifle was borrowed in the first place. Next time, Danny decided, he was just going to use his own machinery. This 'borrowing' thing was going to stay a one-time deal.

As the teen prepared to hop on his bike and flee the scene, Danny's sixth sense kicked when he thought he heard a twig snap somewhere behind him. There was no hesitation as he quickly grabbed the pistol strapped to his thigh, spinning around and pointing it in the general direction of the sound. The boy didn't know whether to be surprised or not when he saw the Dark Knight, a dark glare etched into what little of his face that Danny could see. In fact, it was obvious the teen was conflicted when he raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, I guess I should've seen this coming at some point."

Batman didn't acknowledge the teen's comment. "_What did you do?_"

"I thought that was obvious." Danny replied, his expression morphing into amusement, his dark sense of humor apparent. "Take too many blows to the head tonight, now did you, Batsy?"

The Dark Knight's eyes narrowed. "_Swear to me _that you didn't kill the O'Keefe's."

"OOO, see, yeah, I can't do that. I don't like to lie… Most of the time." Danny said sarcastically, shrugging absently. The pistol in his hand limply fell to the side, but still, Batman did not move. While the teen's aim had been known to fail here and there, he was nearly at point-blank range. No point in taking chances. The boy continued, his grin growing, "If it's any consolation, though, I did the girl a favor."

Enraged, Batman snapped, "Just because your parents let you down doesn't mean-"

"-I should be taking others. Yeah, I know. 'Ends don't justify means.' I remember all that shit. I just don't _give a damn_." Danny interjected, his eyes flashing. His smile shrank but did not diminish. Without looking from the Dark Knight and keeping a firm grip on his gun threateningly, Danny reached out and grabbed the full-face helmet from the back of his motorcycle. In a few quick, familiar motions, the teen slipped it over his head, hiding his face from the Dark Knight. Danny's voice was muffled as he said, "Well, it was nice seeing you. Hopefully, we won't run into each other again. Ta-ta!"

The boy's words acted like a blank being fired at a starting line. Danny raced to get on his bike and speed away while Batman pulled out a bat-a-rang, throwing it as swiftly as he could. The older man's aim would've held true, and it would've efficiently popped the back tire, but in the few seconds it took to pull the blade out, the bike had roared to life. The bat-a-rang was out of the Dark Knight's hands for no more than a few seconds before Danny was speeding out of the way, swerving dangerously onto the driveway before straightening out, disappearing quickly into the distance.

It would've taken the Dark Knight a few minutes to get back to the Batmobile, but Batman could've caught up with Danny if he had wanted to. However, the teen had blatantly admitted to keeping the most vulnerable member of the O'Keefe family alive, something the Dark Knight felt was intentional. In the end, the simple and disgusting statement Danny had given served its purpose: instead of going after the teen, Batman sighed and ran to the O'Keefe mansion.

The little girl was walking down the front steps when Batman arrived, tears soaking her face and her parents' blood staining her nightgown. Lily went to the Dark Knight as he approached, not hesitating for a moment to attach herself to his leg, sniffling and crying. Batman sighed as he stroked her hair, a silent comfort in a terrifying storm. With her watery eyes, Lily looked up at the Dark Knight and between hiccups, she said, "B-Batman, the mu-monster took my parents."

* * *

Roughly two days after his job, the hum of the motorcycle reverberating under him came to an abrupt end, the bike falling silent as Danny took the key out of the ignition. The teen pulled his helmet off his head, setting it down on the seat in front of him. Danny linked his hands together and stretched, his palms reaching for the sky. A few, resounding pops sounded from his cramped back, and the dark-haired boy groaned, dropping his hands to his sides. Taking a deep breath to settle his frazzled nerves, Danny finally climbed off his bike and walked to the front door of his home, shaking out his limbs as he did. The gravel under his feet _crinch-crunch_ed, much like the gravel at the O'Keefe mansion had just some nights ago. (That job was the farthest thing from Danny's mind at the moment, though.)

As he came to a stop in front of his front door, Danny crouched down, brushing the gravel away. It took a few minutes, but the teen eventually came across the desired object he had hidden there (he should seriously move it, though; the boy was going to lose it one of these days, and he owned no spares). Danny grasped it, getting up from the ground and quickly unlocking the door. After a few minutes of slamming his body weight against the door, Danny finally stumbled in, slamming the door firmly shut behind him. Rolling his shoulder to ease the aching that now resided there, the blue-eyed teen walked past his bed and began sifting through the drawers of a small dresser set off to the side. Once he had found the clothes he wanted, the boy continued on to the garage portion of the complex.

His footsteps echoing eerily off the walls, Danny flipped on the lights and called, "I'm home, computer."

The numerous laptops sitting on the desk in the middle of the room instantly began to turn on, booting up at the sound of its master's voice. As Danny moved to the bathroom in the back corner of the garage, a static-filled voice answered, _"Welcome home, Master. Would you like me to do anything?"_

"Hm, yeah. Turn on one of my playlists and turn it up so loud the neighbors call the cops for a disturbance of peace."

"_Which of your playlists should I turn on? And Master, if I turned the volume up that high, would it not damage your hearing?"_

"I don't care which playlist, just one of them please! Today would be nice! And computer, it's called taking risks. Without risks, my life would be really boring!"

_"__I very much doubt that last point, Master." _

The computer turned on the boy's music right after its last comment, and the volume was as loud as the teen requested. Danny made a nasty face at the computer, shaking his head and narrowing his eyes at his creation. "I should never have programmed sass into that piece of shit." The boy huffed before turning on his heels, throwing his clothes over his shoulder as he strode into the bathroom. Inside, his disgusted look exploded into a grin, a laugh resounding from the boy's mouth as he began stripping down.

About twenty minutes later, the boy came back out, refreshed and rejuvenated after his shower. In his hands, Danny carried the clothes he had been wearing before in his hands. He quickly dumped them in the laundry basket outside the bathroom door, and after much contemplation as to whether he should take it or not, Danny painfully left his beloved leather jacket hanging on a hook in the wall before looking at himself in the full-length mirror also on the wall, scrutinizing the way he looked. He was dressed very simply in a white, button-down shirt, black jeans, and combat boots. However, something about the simplicity seemed to make him look a few years older than he was. But then, it might not even be his clothes. It very well may be his attitude that gave that impression.

Either way, Danny nodded to himself with a grin and turned around, calling out, "Hey computer! You can shut off the music! I'm going out again!"

Five Finger Death Punch immediately stopped singing, and the computer system replied, _"As you wish, Master."_

Grinning wildly to himself, Danny began heading out the door again but not without backing up and grabbing the leather jacket he had left behind before.

After only being home for about a half hour, the black-haired teen was on his bike again, easing it out of the chain-link gate that kept the basic street thugs from invading his HQ. Once the gate was closed and locked, Danny hit the gas, quickly zooming down the street with a booming roar echoing behind him as he disappeared into the distance.

The drive was short but eventful, Danny thought. He passed a lot of cars on his way to his destination, and many of them honked at him for his breaking of the law. He also ran three red lights, nearly caused four crashes, _possibly _caused one (he'd have to check the news later to be sure; he had heard a lot of screeching but never a true impact), and scared a few dozen pedestrians with his reckless driving. All in a day's work, Danny supposed.

The teen's traveling lead to a brightly lit casino, simply named "The Wild Card Casino," on a road that branched off from the Las Vegas Strip. Danny pulled into the parking-lot smoothly, easing his way down the aisle to one of the parking spots near the front doors and beside a couple of other bikes. The teen wasted no time, quickly hopping off his vehicle and freeing himself from his helmet. Stuffing the keys in his pockets, Danny walked to the front door with a certain, confident swagger in his step. It caught the eyes of a few college girls that Danny opened the door for, and their interested eyes caught his for a few seconds as they passed him. The younger teen smirked after them, rolling his eyes and basking in the irony.

Entering the casino, Danny quickly glanced around, checking out the crowd lingering in the building and finding nothing more dangerous than a few drunken losers hitting on some uninterested females. After his quick analysis, Danny swiftly began weaving in and out of the rows of slot-machines and card tables taking up the majority of the casino's front room. The teen quickly found himself in the back of the building, where the bar and the small performance platform was. There was an ebony-haired female giving a live performance on the stage, singing a song that Danny didn't know. The young woman saw Danny as he approached and smiled at him in greeting. The teen boy winked back at Sam, and the boy's friend focused back on her small audience, flashing a teasing smile at them in an attempt to keep them interested.

Danny walked to the bar, sliding up behind the cocoa-skinned male sitting at the bar and clamping him suddenly on the shoulder. Tucker's drink sputtered from his lips as Danny laughed, and as the ebony-haired boy's friend set the drink carefully down and wiped his mouth, Tucker cast an irritated glare at Danny over his shoulder. In reply, the teen said, "Wow, Tuck. Careful when you're drinking. You don't want to waste a fine glass of beer." To the bartender, Danny shouted a drink order for himself. The bartender didn't bother to ask for an ID; he'd seen Danny's fake one plenty of times in the past to know the kid's alias was old enough to drink alcohol.

Tucker rolled his eyes at his friend's comment and mumbled, "Oh, I'll be careful…when I'm running you over with a train, you little bastard. Thinks he can get away with his snarky-ass attitude-"

"What's that, Tuck? Speak a little louder. They turn up Sam's microphone a little loud." Danny commented, leaning on Tucker's shoulder as he slid into the seat next to his friend.

"Oh, I was just talking to myself, my wonderful companion. Don't be concerned. It had nothing to do with you." Tucker replied, faking sincerity with ease as he batted his eye in a watery manner. Danny barked another laugh, and Tucker rolled his eyes, asking, "So how was Gotham, dumbass? Were you irritating as always?"

After waiting for the bartender to lay his glass down and leave, Danny then replied, "Of course. Though, if you asked Bats, I'm sure he would tell you that I was more than just irritating."

The cocoa-skinned boy had been going for his drink to steal another gulp, but as soon as Danny mentioned the Dark Knight's nickname, Tucker's attention honed in on the other boy as he smirked in amusement. Slowly, Tucker asked, "You ran into _him?!"_

"Yeah…" Danny drawled, grinning as he stared into the distance and remembered the event. "He was pissed."

"Oh-ho-ho, dude, you have to give me the details. You can't just leave me hanging here." Tucker said, bouncing in his seat as his smile grew larger. Rubbing his hands together impatiently, the teen pressured, "Come on, talk to Tucker. Tucker wants to hear what you have to say (for once)."

Flippantly, Danny waved the other boy off and said, "I'll tell you later. You forget: we're in a public place, and Sam would murder us both if she found out I divulged juicy details without her around."

Tucker groaned, and Danny laughed. When the former of the two tried to elicit just a few details from his friend, they fell into a bickering match that lasted until Sam, whose gig finally came to an end, sauntered up behind them and slapped them both upside the head. Both boys yelled, "OW," and then focused their eyes on the culprit of their misery. Sam grinned at the both of them and before either could get on her for her simply blasphemous actions, the girl directed her striking eyes at Danny and said, "Welcome back, dipshit. I hope you're feeling loved and welcomed."

Danny snorted and shook his head; however, a genuine smile played on the edges of his lips as he looked at his two teasing friends. "Oh, of course, Sam. I just love to hear you two call me names and physically abuse me. It's my absolute favorite." Sam and Tucker chuckled. Danny ignored them as he continued and asked, " Hey guys, how about we ditch this joint? I have so many things to tell you, but there are just _so_ many witnesses..."

Sam and Tucker's laughter died away, only to be replaced by devious smiles. The two glanced at each other, and when they looked back, Tucker said, "I think that sounds like a good idea."

"Then let us be on our way. Shall we?"


	12. The Here and Now

Ch.12: The Here and Now

With their arms crossed over their chests, Danny and Sam watched in amusement as their friend struggled to push open his front door. Beads of sweat dripped down Tucker's face as he pushed on the door with all of his weight behind it. There was no point, however. Tucker's front door was just like Danny's, except ten times worse. No one was entirely too sure how it managed to stay up, for the door was dry-rotted and nearly falling off its hinges; yet, it remained intact.

Leaning over to Sam, Danny muttered, "Should we help him out or no?"

Humming contemplatively, the female's eyes narrowed. Danny grinned amusedly as Sam slowly starting shaking her head. Finally, Sam muttered back, "Nah, he can suffer some more. I'm sure he's done something at some point to deserve this karma."

"Haven't we all?"

"Undoubtedly, but we'll burn that bridge when we come to it."

The ebony-haired teens watched Tucker for a little while longer, grinning as their friend struggled with all of his might against the dry-rotted piece of junk. All the while, Tucker cursed and heaved as he used all of his weight against the door. Finally, the boy broke down and shot a look over his shoulder, calling to the other two teens, "Would the two of you grace my humble self with your help already?!"

"Calm yourself, peasant. Your master has heard his servant's cries." Danny responded, grinning as he separated from Sam's side. The girl snorted quietly behind him, and Tucker glared at the other boy's remark, muttering something about not needing pretentious bastards in his life. Danny's grin only grew as he stopped in front of Tucker's door, looking it up and down. "Hm. Tuck, I think there's only one way to take care of this."

"And what way would that be, oh great and mighty overlord?" Tucker drawled, rolling his eyes.

_BANG!_

"AHHHHH!"

Sam guffawed as Tucker shrieked, looking at the place where his door had previously been. Danny dusted his hands off victoriously, his expression morphed into pride. Stunned and sorrowful, Tucker peeked into the new opening in his doorframe, looking at the splinters of what once had been his door spread all over the ground. Whimpering, the cocoa-skinned boy said, "You broke my door."

Clamping Tucker's shoulder, Danny replied, "It was broke before. I just made it unfixable."

Theatrically, Tucker mimicked sobbing.

With a pleasant hum to himself, Danny stepped inside the empty doorframe, followed by a trudging Tucker. Sam brought up the rear, a skip in her step as she trailed after her male friends.

The shack they entered was small, so much so that 'small' would almost be an understatement. No more than ten people would be able to stand in the single-room hut at a time, and even with no furnishings of any kind, it would still be very cramped. Fortunately, the trio had nowhere near that many friends. Still though, it wasn't very pleasant, eliciting Sam to casually comment, "You really need to get this place fixed up. One day, it's gonna collapse, and you're not going to be able to get out, starve, and die."

"That's what you useless losers are for." Tucker replied, placing his hands on a panel on the only windowless wall. He pushed in, the panel falling back, and moved it to the side, revealing a closet-sized room inside. It was no closet, however; it was a secret stairwell. Tucker entered it without a second though, ushering both of his friends through. Sam and Danny passed him, heading down the steel stairs, their footfalls resonating off the walls.

As Tucker pushed the panel back into place, hiding the stairwell from any unwanted guests, Danny called as he descended, "What if Sam and I just let you die?"

"Then I'd come back as a ghost and kill you."

"It's unfortunate that that's an actual option."

The trio wandered into the main portion of Tucker's lab/garage was much, much larger than the shack that sat above it. Examination tables took up most of the space, most of which had unfinished androids on top. There was a large computer console- a present from Danny –in the corner by the staircase, a mini-fridge sitting next to it. On the far side of the room, there were two doors, one that was normal wood and the other that was made of glass. The wooden door led to Tucker's bedroom, and the glass one led to a long aisle filled with the techno-geek's prized androids. One of the androids was the war-bot that had been named "Droid."

(Danny never understood why that one was on display. Looking at it brought him back to a time in his life that he did not particularly like to revisit, but it never had seemed to bother Tucker. The ebony-haired boy wanted to ask his friend why _(why is it there? Why doesn't it bother you? Why do you torture me like this?)_, but Danny could never muster up enough courage to go through and raise the question.)

Upon reaching the lower level, the trio split from their single-file line and dispersed to their usual spots. Tucker grabbed his rolly-chair- another present from Danny. Sam grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and took a seat on one of the examination tables, which was almost always empty because the female loved to sit there. Danny chose to remain standing, leaning against one of the walls and crossing his arms casually over his chest.

"Alright buddy-boy, what happened on your mission that was so amazing that you didn't even finish your drink?" Sam asked Danny, raising one of her eyebrows expectedly.

Tucker leaned forward excitedly, already knowing the best detail of all but knowing so little still. Sam noticed the boy's excitement but said nothing, simply waiting to hear how this would play out.

"Well, for starters," Danny began, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a little, silk bag. He tossed it onto the table next to Sam, letting her take a look at the contents inside: the O'Keefe's wedding rings. "I got my job finished."

Sam rolled her eyes at that statement and inspected the rings with interest. Tucker scoffed at the other teen and said, "Dude, you always get your gigs finished."

Danny grinned cheekily. "_Yeah-h-h_, I know."

"Get to the juicy details already before we have to lob your head off." Tucker snapped, his eye twitching.

"Aw, don't get your panties in a twist. I'll get on with it…" Danny said. He dove into the story, starting with the boring details that Sam and Tucker only half-listened to. The teen boy didn't mind them; he was rushing through those parts anyway. They only perked up when he said, "Unfortunately for her, the couple's kid walked in as I was about to leave. What was her name? Lila? Leila? Something like that, anyway. I had to take care of her for obvious reasons."

The boy's last statement was rather ominous, even if Danny hadn't really done what he had implied, but neither Sam nor Tucker were phased by the implication to begin with. If anything, it seemed to finally capture their attention. Tucker asked curiously, "So what sort of freakish nightmare did you conjure up?"

In reply, inky black dripped into Danny's eyes, covering up the icy blue quickly. As soon as the color was erased, the same monster from the O'Keefe fizzled into existence behind Danny, looming over the shorter boy menacingly. Its red eyes flickered back and forth between Sam and Tucker, hissed, and then dispersed in a poof of black fog as the inky black drained from Danny's eyes, leaving them their original blue again. Neither Sam nor Tucker seemed all that impressed by the boy's creation.

"Considering what you've created before, that was kind of cheesy." Sam commented, looking at her nails and inspecting them for flaws. Tucker nodded in agreement.

Danny's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "I hate the both of you."

"Hate us while you tell us the rest of your story, will ya?" Tucker replied.

Eye twitching, the ebony-haired teen silently seethed to himself as he wrapped up his story by rushing, "After that, I left the mansion, ran into Bats, hopped on my bike, and drove away. The end."

"WHAT?" Sam screeched. She held up her hands and gestured for her friend to backtrack. "Wow, wow, wow, back up this gravy train real quick! You ran into the Bat, and you're not going to tell us the details? What the hell, man?! Go back and start that again!"

"You don't _deserve_ the details, you pieces of shit!"

* * *

"Another Demon Strikes in Gotham," "Bill and Mariana O'Keefe Killed by Mysterious Figure, Daughter is the Only Eyewitness," "Who Will be the Demons Next Victims?"

The headlines flashed across the computer, glaring at the weary Dark Knight with the heat of one of Superman's laser-beams. They were like hammers against the forefront of his mind, drilling in the fact that he hadn't been able to stop another tragedy that could have been easily preventable, had he shown up just a little earlier than he had. Batman didn't make things easy on himself either. He kept asking himself how it had all come to this.

_(How can that little brat do these things? How come I wasn't there to stop those bullets, to stop that girl from becoming traumatized? How could I let him get away? How come I can't find him, no matter what I do? How come? How could? How, how, how?)_

The articles raised a lot of generic questions: who and what are the mysterious creatures killing off people? What was their end goal? Did they get anything out of such killings, or was it simply a game to all of them? Where did they come from? Where did they hide? How did they even get here? Etc., etc….

The Dark Knight already had the answers to all of those stupid questions. The demon (singular, not plural) was a teen boy named Danny. He was the creator of the Dark-Net and took jobs from others for his own personal gain. He undoubtedly received some physical reward out of each kill, but it probably was a game, anyway. Danny came from a combination of a shattered family, the system, and the streets. God knew where he holed himself up in anymore. Danny reached where he was now by pushing others out of the way and walking over them. It was all easy answers to easy questions. Batman didn't need that; he needed to know the harder stuff.

Last time Batman checked, Danny didn't do much to hide his identity when he was out on gigs. Hell, the teen hadn't even been wearing a domino mask when the Caped Crusader had run into him two nights ago. How the hell was it that every victim- not one, not two, but _every single one of them_ -claimed that they saw a monster? "The stuff of nightmares," as one victim described it? If it had only been a handful of the victims that gave this description, it could've been passed off as some stress reaction to trauma, but not every single victim would conjure up a monster. At least one of them should have been able to tell police, "It was a boy. He was a teenager. He had black hair and blue eyes and killed so-and-so." But _nope_. The cops and every government agency was still waiting for that to happen.

It was impossible to know how Danny was tricking people- _kids_, Batman corrected himself; the only people to get away with seeing the teen were kids younger than Danny –into believing this illusion. As far as the Dark Knight knew, the teen didn't have any form of illusionary powers or any type of technology that could hide his true appearance while keeping up with his movements. Plus, those options didn't really make sense anyway. While he had only run into the teen a handful of times over the past year, Danny had never looked anything other than Danny. That could mean Danny was selective about when he turned his powers/technology on, but then, wouldn't he have to activate his method whenever he became caught? Wouldn't the remaining victims catch a small glimpse of the teen before the grotesque illusion took over and not see a monster from start to finish?

Batman didn't know the answer to any of those inquires, much to his persisting frustration. He hated not knowing, and he positively despised how positively sneaky Danny had become. Oh yeah, the teen's hiding skills had been ridiculous before, but now it was practically impossible to deal with. No matter how many times they tried, neither Oracle nor Batman could get a definite ping on the teen and his whereabouts. Needless to say, both geniuses were becoming very frustrated with this fact. Both frequently found themselves working on the case in their free time, even if it got them nowhere.

An irate sigh slipped from the Dark Knight's mouth. Batman raised a hand to his temple, rubbing at it to lessen the throbbing that had begun. It was a fruitless endeavor, as it typically was whenever Danny was involved, but that didn't stop Batman from trying. His eyes scoured the headlines on his computer for the umpteenth time; nothing changed.

It wouldn't be the first time he thought it, but Batman wondered about all of the 'what ifs.' What if Danny had been raised with his parents and loving sister? Would he have been a normal teenager with average grades and a group of friends? What if he had simply been happier during his childhood and had all of his rage expelled? Would he have then been adopted by a family desiring another child to brighten their house with laughter and glee? What if Batman had simply approached Danny differently? Would the Dark Knight have been able to persuade the teen to leave his evil doings behind and join the right side?

Batman sighed. Who was he kidding? There were so many things that would have better than this fate, and many of them weren't particularly kind, either. However, at least in those hypothetical scenarios, Danny didn't have a rap sheet a mile long, two friends who were just as invested in the criminal underworld as he was, and a program dedicated to aiding the other world plunderers.

The Dark Knight could still vividly recall the days leading up to the teen's reappearance as "King of the Crooks," as many enjoyed calling him now. Back then, Danny had just fled, and Batman was doing all he could to find him. At the time, most of the Caped Crusader's work was done on the Dark-Net. The thought had been that the boy's intense love and protectiveness for his creation would help to lead Batman to where the boy had run off. The Dark Knight hadn't expected his searching to be easy, but he had believed it would have been easier than it ended up being. Within the first couple of days, it was obvious Danny either hadn't touched the Dark-Net _at all_ or he had found a way to mask his movements on his beloved program. At first, Batman had believed the first option wasn't really an option at all- Danny would never leave his precious baby alone for so long; it _needed_ and _deserved_ his unwavering attention, of course –but as the days dragged on, things began getting out of hand on the program. Business as usual was becoming more and more chaotic, and things that would have never been allowed before quickly became mainstream when people began realizing that Phantom wasn't cracking down on it anymore. That's when Batman realized that Danny hadn't _touched_ his program _once_ since he had fled from the Dark Knight.

The realization was…startling. Then confusing. Then worrisome.

There wasn't much that could keep Danny from his cherished brain-child for more than a couple of hours. The fact that the teen hadn't done anything with it in days, almost a _week_ even, set off warning bells that said, "Hey! Danny's fucking screwed! It might be in your best interest to check in on him." Batman would have, if he could, but with the ways were, the Dark Knight could do nothing for the teen until he found out exactly where he was, and there was no way he could that unless Danny left a footprint _somewhere, anywhere, _so long as it wasn't _nowhere_.

But unfortunately, the teen refused to surface for weeks on end. The Dark-Net, after the initial first week of neglect, began suffering. The signs of decay were small at the beginning; there were a few glitches, like text coming up weird and means of communication never fully going through. The people using the system sorted it out, though, not really bothered by the small bugs here and there. The malfunctions grew worse, however, and within two weeks, no one was bothering to use the system anymore. It was too much of a flight risk, and the Dark-Net had become too frustrating to work with. It was abandoned by all, and everyone fell back on Calculator's old system.

For about a month and a half, the Dark-Net remained nothing more than a deteriorated slate of code. Batman gave up trying to decipher anything in the unintelligible script. Danny could not be found through it; there was no use in picking it apart anymore.

However, around the two month mark of Danny's disappearance, the Dark-Net came back out of nowhere and stronger than ever. The original system had been completely trashed and redone. It was no longer just one of the most prosperous programs on the deep-web; it was its leading site, and so help you God if you weren't part of its user database. The Dark-Net was no longer just there, beckoning any spectator to become part of it; it was now something that forced its presence amongst people and demanded control of all. No one seemed to mind this, however; in fact, Batman would say some even preferred the hold that the Dark-Net's creator had on everyone.

Upon its re-launching, Danny graced everyone who logged on with a pre-recorded video. It starred him, of course, in his many shapes and forms, courtesy of his disguise generator. However, to each of his sides, there had been two other figures: a female with ebony hair and a black mask and a different male, also with a mask but with green circuit-like designs. In the video, Danny had gone on to sarcastically ask for forgiveness for his absence and a firm claim that it would not happen again. He also went on to say that now he had also joined forces with the infamous Black Thorn and respected Drone. Together, the trio would work together from then on for just about everything. Danny finished his video by saying something that was meant to be a bad joke but sounded more like an ominous threat than anything else.

Since then, Batman had been doing his best to track the teen. It wasn't going well, but that didn't stop him from trying. One of his methods was trying to figure out the teen's friends. If they were so close, being able to track even one of them should let the Dark Knight trace them back to Danny. It seemed like the boy had taken it upon himself to keep them safe from his sights, though.

Hm. Stupid kids.

At the announcement of the trio's new alliance, Batman would have been lying if he said he hadn't been shocked. The last time he had checked, Drone and Black Thorn were at odds with Danny. They had been involved in numerous scuffles, and the ebony-haired boy had given up their HQs without a second thought when the Dark Knight asked. What had prompted the three to become partners in crime, huh? It surely wasn't something that their good and gracious hearts had pushed them to do. However, on that thought, Batman had also recalled an image of a different trio on a different spectrum of morality, as it had seemed at the time: Graveyard, the female known as Snowbird, and the robot called Droid.

It was undeterminable what provoked the illustration in his head, but all the same, something stuck out to Batman. One thing led to another, and the Dark Knight found himself comparing an image captured of Snowbird during the ghost invasion to a picture of Black Thorn facing off against Graveyard in the middle of a Las Vegas street. It didn't take the computer very long to conclude what Batman already knew: the two pictures were of the same person, just with different names and gimmicks.

Next came Drone. The Dark Knight didn't have to do much to confirm his suspicions. After drudging up some old footage, Batman watched a few minutes of the robot Droid conversing with Graveyard during the ghost invasion, courtesy of some street-cameras. At some point, Batman watched as Graveyard began laughing. The robot complained, and the white-haired teen replied, _"Sorry, sorry… It's just… You only changed the last two letters of your other alias."_

Drone. Droid. It didn't take _a fucking genius_ to figure that one out. God, how _brain-dead_ was Batman to have missed such glaring truths? Neither teen had really gone out of their way to disguise their conspicuous appearances or abilities!

With that in mind, questions Batman had previously had- why didn't Danny want to stop Black Thorn? Why was he so hesitant to intervene on Drone's gig and so reluctant to restrain Black Thorn? Why did he let them go? Why was he so remorseless with every other villain? –suddenly became answered, and they were like another punch to an already bruised pride.

_Black Thorn and Drone had been Danny's friends. Damn it, why was Bats just figuring this out?!_

Uh. In the very least, it seemed that the three teens had been going through a rough patch of some sort, if Danny's sudden willingness to turn them in was any indication. Batman still had no concrete reason as to why Danny had fled, as well, but still, the Dark Knight had more answers than he had previously. And he sort of hated himself for it. If it was any consolation, though, the three teens had obviously kissed and made up, their bond stronger than ever, and everyone knew the saying: "The family that kills together, stays together."

_Yup_. Those little _bastards_ had gone and started killing, Danny being the first to engage with such remorseless acts. Undoubtedly, with his prompting, the other two had jumped on the bandwagon and gone along with him. It was disturbing how quickly they had engrossed themselves in that life, accepting it with open arms even. They even had a confirmed kill count on the front page of Dark-Net for each of the three. Currently, Danny and Black Thorn were currently warring for first place while Drone lagged behind quite a bit, seemingly less interested in who won.

What disturbed the Dark Knight the worst, though, was that, at one point, all of the teens could have been saved from this fate. Not just Danny, but all three of them! None of the "Crime Trio," as they had been nicknamed, seemed beside themselves to jump in the way for someone else. This was shown when Danny undoubtedly roped both of the others into helping him round up the invading ghosts so long ago. It's just… _No one _had realized that they needed guidance, that they needed to be corrected. If this had been recognized a year ago, maybe none of them would currently be rocking the criminal underworld.

Tiredly, Batman reached up and rubbed his face again. With a sigh, he began rising to leave but was stopped when a box popped up on the screen in front of him. The Dark Knight read the code inside in the box and felt his ire return. Though the text was indiscernible- nothing more than a jumble of letters and numbers really -Batman still knew what- _who_ exactly had sent this to his computer. Among the many things the teen did, this was probably the most grating of them all.

Falling back into his seat, Batman pressed the "OK" option inside of the box. Immediately, a video-call popped up. Unsurprisingly, Danny was the one staring into the camera, a devious smirk gracing his lips as he said, "That sounds like a plan. The others and I will be sure to be there at the appointed time."

Batman did not respond, and if there was anyone else on the line, the Dark Knight did not hear them reply either. But wasn't that just typical? Every time Danny did this, he never let the older man intervene in any way, never let his face be seen or voice be heard. Danny simply let the other watch, dangling the very last snippets of criminal arrangements in his face, taunting, "Hey look! You know something bad is gonna happen, but what could it possibly be, huh?" It was cruel, but then, Danny had become very cruel anyway.

On the screen, Danny nodded something to whomever he was speaking with and then said a snappy goodbye. The music came on behind him, and the teen grinned to himself as he kept the feed going, allowing Batman to irritably watch the motions go on. It continued for some time before Danny mouthed, "This is your fault." Immediately afterwards, the teen hung up, leaving Batman to remember that, yes, part of this reality may very have been his fault. But not all of it fell on him.

(It's not like it mattered, though. Danny would never take any blame.)


	13. Hate You but Save You, All the Same

Ch.13: Hate You but Save You, All the Same

The duffel bag hit the ground with a loud _BANG_, startling Sam from her slumber. Her bleary eyes looked at the room around her, eventually coming to rest on the smirking figure standing at the arm of the couch she was resting on. A firm glare settled on the female's face as she turned over, covering her head with her blanket as she groaned loudly. Danny called gleefully, "Who's ready for a road trip~?"

"It's too early for this shit."

The ebony-haired boy hopped over the arm of the couch, landing heavily on Sam's feet and making her squirm. Crawling up roughly behind her, Danny shook the covered female as she growled at him. Grinning cheekily, the boy said, "Come on, Sammy-kins~! You know you wanna go kick some ass. Come on, who's itching for some bloodshed? Who is it? It's you! It's Sammy-girl!"

"I'm not a dog!" Sam retorted, glaring at her friend as she finally sat up, her hair a wild mess that framed her head.

Danny's grin only broadened at the messy-haired girl. "No, but you are a bitch."

_SLAP!_

"OW, _FUCK! _IS YOUR ONLY DEFENSE SLAPPING ME?!"

"Oh, like you didn't deserve it, you sick bastard!"

"Guys, could you not?" Tucker asked irritably from the ground, where a mound of blankets hid his form from the world. Sam and Danny turned on their third friend, claiming that they were the innocent one in their dispute. Tucker only sighed bitterly under his blankets before sitting up, a tired expression etched into his face. "Shut up, both of you! Just face it; you're both bitches."

_"__HEY!"_

"What did you come over here for, Danny? Sam and I hadn't expected to see you until morning." Tucker asked, ignoring the angered expressions of the two on the couch. Sam huffed as she sat back, arms crossed over her chest. Danny continued glaring at Tucker, and for a moment, he refused to reply. The boy on the ground was taking no sass, however, as he laid back down and said, "That's fine. I'll just go back to sleep if you won't tell Sam and I what's going on."

Danny growled at his friend, eliciting a positively evil grin from Sam, before saying, "_Fine_. The three of us have a job. We need to get going relatively soon if we want to get to the appointed place at the appointed time. Now come on, guys; don't you want to get paid?"

Getting back up, Tucker cooed, "Aw, now was that so hard?"

"Shut up!"

Chuckling, the cocoa-skinned boy got up, as did Sam, and the two began moving around the female's apartment. Tucker went to his own duffel bag set off to the side while Sam went to her bedroom. The two of them took turns in the bathroom as they quickly changed into adequate attire for a long journey on a motorcycle; then they met Danny by Sam's front door, their go-bags slung over their shoulders. The trio quickly left the female's home, Sam locking the door behind them.

As the trio waltzed down the brightly lit hallway outside of the fearsome girl's apartment, Sam asked her friend, "Alright, what's the plan?"

"Oh, it's nothing too hard. We're just supposed to guard a bus that's transporting a bunch of kids to some trafficker's new base." Danny commented. He had barely got the words out of his mouth, however, when the ebony-haired girl slammed him up against a wall, an infuriated expression upon her face that promised pain. Somewhere behind the two, Tucker groaned and mumbled something that sounded like, "Could you two _not_ wake the entire building up?" Danny only grinned down at his shorter friend. "Oh, relax, Sam. You should know by now that I don't put up with that crap, either. We're totally gonna cream these bastards."

Sam pulled away, obviously flustered with her friend and the tiniest bit embarrassed she had reacted so violently. Danny only nudged her shoulder teasingly before wandering down the hall with Tucker at his side. Sam followed quickly behind, pulling up beside the ebony-haired teen as Tucker asked, "So, what's the real plan, D?"

"Tuck, you can take out the bus driver and take the wheel, since you're the best out of the three of us when it comes to driving. Sam, you and I are gonna take the rest of the scumbags and then load the kids onto the bus. We'll drop them off at the nearest PD and then go home. Sound good?" Danny asked.

The other two members of the Crime Trio voiced their agreements, and as they rode down the elevator to the first floor, the three chatted idly about their travel route to their destination. They had a long journey ahead of them- the site was in Nashville, Tennessee -and none of the trio had any overwhelming desire to be on the road more than needed.

Briskly, the three teens left the apartment complex and strode to their parked bikes. They strapped their go-bags to the backs of their vehicles before hopping on. In a few brief minutes, Sam, Tucker, and Danny were on the road, zooming through the streets faster than the law specified and leaving a mass of angry people behind them. The teens only laughed and conversed merrily through the microphones Danny and Tucker had installed in their helmets a long time ago.

The teens made good time that day. They drove all throughout the night and through the day and through part of the night again, only stopping a few times for food, gas, and bathroom breaks. Whatever time they lost with these few and far between stops was made up by speeding. Fortunately for them, there were no cops that chased them down. Yes, it had been a good day. In fact, it was almost too good to be true, Sam mentioned at one point, and as they pulled off the highway to enter the city of Nashville, Danny proved her right when they slowed at a stoplight.

"Uh, guys… I just realized something."

"And what would that be, Danny?"

"…I forgot to book us a motel."

The irritated yells from Sam and Tucker could be heard by the other drivers on the other side of the street. Fortunately, the light turned green before anyone could roll down their windows and ask what was wrong.

"You always do this!" Tucker said impatiently, pulling his coat tighter around his frame as the frigid air of winter settled into his bones. Danny didn't answer him as he leaned against a payphone, scrolling through his phone as he searched for a motel that he deemed adequate. Even if he had answered, however, he would've been abruptly cut off as Tucker continued, "How do you keep forgetting something so important?"

Humming to himself, Danny grabbed the phone from the cradle beside him, slipping a quarter into the slot. He punched in the number on his touch-screen and pressed the phone to his ear as Tucker continued to mutter complaints beside him. It took a few rings, but someone eventually picked on the other side of the line. They greeted Danny with a tired, "_This is Motel 6. How can I help you?"_ The teen replied with a snippy, "Hi. You have any rooms open?"

The call took only a few minutes, but in those minutes, Tucker wandered into the gas station to be with Sam. She had gone in some time before the boy to supposedly grab food but more than likely to warm herself up. Danny was left outside by himself in the cold and dark of night, but he and the lady at Motel 6 made reservations very quickly, allowing him to hang up in a short amount of time. After, Danny grabbed his friends, and they were back on the road for a little while longer. The ebony-haired teen led the other two to Motel 6, where they checked in and went up to the open room the blue-eyed teen had found for them. They rapidly found their room and went inside, ready for beddy-bye.

Inside, however, the two boys found a small problem. Sam only laughed deviously as she dumped her bag on the ground and hopped on one of the two beds in the room, calling, "This one's mine! You two have fun in the other!"

Tucker and Danny grumbled as they looked upon the remaining bed, expressions of dissatisfaction on their expressions. The two of them quickly drilled into the other where the invisible line was on the bed so they could get a good night's rest.

Did that end up helping them at all? Nope. It took about half an hour of Tucker tossing and turning before Danny pushed him to the floor, claiming the cocoa-skinned boy's spot for himself. In retaliation, Tucker dragged all of the sheets to the floor with him. In the next bed over, Sam slept peacefully.

The three slept through the rest of the night and late into the next day. They finally began to rouse from their slumber early that next afternoon, with Sam being the first amongst the trio to get out of bed. The two boys eventually followed her, swearing under their breaths as they did. Danny and Tucker were too preoccupied with waking themselves up to notice Sam cackling at them as she brushed her teeth.

The gig Danny had snagged for them was not supposed to go down until late that night, so the trio hung around the motel room for the rest of the day, lazily watching horror movies to occupy themselves. Sometime as they were doing this, Danny pushed Tucker off the couch "because he could."

Eventually, though, the sunlight dwindled away to nothing, and the motel room darkened until Sam turned on some of the lights. Danny watched the time closely until it rolled around to nine o'clock. At that time, he got up and shut off the TV, telling the other two, "Alright, time to suit up." However, Sam was already disappearing into the bathroom, and Tucker was pulling his clothes out of his duffel bag, leaving Danny to be the last of the trio to grab his clothes.

It didn't take long at all for the teens to dress. When Black Thorn filed out from the bathroom, she was slipping her mask on over her face, hiding her features from view. As she gazed at both of her friends, she found two more masked faces staring back at her, Phantom's in the shape of a snarling wolf and Drone's looking as if it were a green and black circuit board. Black Thorn smiled at the two boys and asked, "Ready to leave, nimrods?"

"After you, milady." Phantom replied, gesturing widely to the room's only window. Black Thorn rolled her eyes, ruffled his black hair as she passed, and crawled out of the window first, the two boys following closely behind her as they climbed the fire-escape to the rooftop. There, Phantom told his friends in which direction they were to travel, lifted into the air, and begin to fly off. Black Thorn's and Drone's yells of frustration mingled with the other teen's laughter as they raced after their friend.

It was only a few minutes into their foot-traveling that snow began to fall from the sky. It was not light and fluffy, either. It was heavy and would have stung the teen's flesh in the growing wind, had they not been wearing such heavy clothing. Still, it was not pleasurable, and Black Thorn and Drone frequently complained about this to Phantom, claiming it was his fault, even if it clearly wasn't. Phantom retorted, "Come on, be real! It's totally Thorn's icy soul that's manipulating the weather!"

On that day, Black Thorn very nearly shot Phantom dead.

The Crime Trio made it to their destination with little time to spare. Their clients were waiting for them in heavy coats in front of a large warehouse, other large structures hiding the going-ons of the building. The obvious leader of the trafficking ring was smoking as the three climbed down from the opposite building's rooftop. The three sauntered across the way to meet them, their dark shapes menacing in the heavy snowfall. Phantom took the front of his little group, stopping some feet from the crowd of traffickers. He crossed his arms over his chest as he asked, "Has our payment been wired yet?"

The smoker rolled his eyes at the teen's impatience and replied, "Of course. I did just as we agreed. Are you and your little buddies ready to hold up your end of the deal?"

"Trust me when I say you don't want to question our abilities." Phantom replied.

The lead trafficker only nodded his head and turned around, calling out an order to his men, who began rushing into action. No one noticed Phantom as he pulled his pistol from its holster, pointed it at the back of the lead trafficker's head, and mumbled, "Our loyalties, on the other hands..."

_POW!_

The gunshot cracked like a thunderclap, sending the other traffickers into momentary confusion. As they whirled around to see what had happened, Phantom and Black Thorn quickly picked off the rest of the group while they were bewildered and incapacitated. Drone dropped back behind them and sprinted for the stalled bus while his two friends easily took care of the rest of the traffickers. Their gunshots had just fallen quiet when a single _POW! _sounded from Drone's direction. Black Thorn and Phantom both looked up, but when they saw Drone's form climb aboard the bus, they relaxed.

"Let's get the vics." Phantom said. Black Thorn nodded. The two of them jogged through the mess of bodies scattered across the yard, unfazed by the crimson quickly staining the white snow. The two mercenaries came upon the large door; fortunately, it was already unlocked in anticipation of the move that was going to happen. The darkly-clad figures swiftly threw it open, jogging inside as they staked the place out.

Cages lined the walls, but Black Thorn and Phantom expected no less. Inside them, the two rogue mercenaries found a little over a dozen scantily dressed and underfed kids, most of whom were the two teens' age or younger. Their wide eyes gazed upon the two menacing figures with fright, but it turned to confusion when Black Thorn and Phantom became breaking the locks on their cells. The mercenaries called to them hastily, "Come on, file out! We need to get you out of here quickly! Let's go!"

Despite their mistreatment, all of the kids easily did as they were told, filling up the aisle between the two lines of chain-link cages as they shivered. There were only two kids that had any trouble walking. One was a teen girl with blonde hair. Black Thorn asked if she'd like help, but the girl said her twin sister could support her. The other child incapable of walking was a preteen boy, who had undoubtedly been drugged. Phantom had no problems picking him up and carrying him out.

With Black Thorn leading their entourage and Phantom guarding their rear, the trafficked kids hurried out of the building and into the freezing, winter air. They shivered and huddled against each other, rubbing their bare arms to produce some warmth. Fortunately, Drone had backed the bus up closer to the warehouse, lessening the distance between the traumatized children and their destination. Black Thorn ushered them in, calling to some of the kids that had gone terribly still at the sight of the traffickers and saying, "Don't look at them! Look at me!"

Finally, though, all of the kids were tucked safely away in the warmth of the bus. Black Thorn began to climb in after the rest of the group, but she stopped when Phantom said, "Wait a second, Thorn."

The female mercenary looked over her shoulder. Black Thorn watched as Phantom slowly looked around the yard. She followed his example, but besides the crimson snow and still bodies, there was nothing out of the ordinary. From inside the bus, Drone curiously asked, "What's the hold up, guys? We're in a bit of a hurry here."

"Phantom, what's up?" Black Thorn asked. She did not receive an answer immediately. Instead, Phantom passed the kid in his arms off to Black Thorn, who took the boy without complaint. She situated the small child on her hip before saying, "Come on, Phantom. Let's just get out of here already."

"You and Drone go on ahead. I'll meet the both of you back at base. I'm going to stay behind and take care of a few things." Phantom replied as he took a few steps back from the bus door.

Black Thorn wanted to ask what was wrong and why he was acting so weird, but Drone made a comment about the cold quickly drowning out the warmth inside of the vehicle. So Black Thorn sighed instead and replied, "Alright then. You better not be going insane on me, though, boy."

Though it wasn't possible to see, Black Thorn could feel Phantom's smirk through his mask. "Aw, of course not, Sweetheart. Now run along. Your knight in shining armor will be right behind you."

The ebony-haired girl snorted and mumbled something that sounded like, "Someone needs to knock that boy down a peg," as she carried the boy in her arms up the stairs. Phantom saluted to Drone, who saluted back and then began shutting the folding doors. However, before they were finished shutting, Phantom heard a young girl ask, "Hey lady, is that your boyfriend?" Drone's cackling could be heard through the doors for a few moments before the bus began to pull away from Phantom's spot, slowly rolling down the snow-covered pathway. The vehicle was gone within a few minutes, leaving Phantom all alone in the yard.

Silently and thoughtfully, the masked teen looked all around the yard, searching for something amiss. However, the only thing in his sight was the heavy, graceful snowfall. Phantom _hmph_ed under his breath and sauntered towards the mess of bodies resting amongst the snow, his steps going _crinch-crunch_. The figures were covered in a thin layer of snow that was rapidly growing, transforming the bodies into inconspicuous lumps. The remaining crimson stains had yet to hidden, however, and they called one's attention like a siren. At the edge of one such red pool, Phantom stopped and looked around again. Firmly, the blue-eyed teen called, "Are you there, or am I just slowly falling into a paranoid stupor?"

Phantom's voice echoed off the frigid walls of the surrounding buildings. There was no verbal reply to the boy's call, but there was no disguising the faint _crinch-crunch_ the boy heard behind him. Phantom turned halfway, his neutral frown turning into an amused grin as he watched the Dark Knight come to a stop some yards away from him, his expression emotionless. For a moment, neither figure did anything. However, Phantom hummed amusedly before reaching up and slipping the mask off from his face. It dangled uselessly in his hand as Danny grinned at his former supervisor, his hands brushing the bangs from his eyes. As they fell right back in his line of sight, Danny remarked, "Damn. I would love to know how your fat ass stays so silent."

"Would you mind explaining the bloodbath behind you." Batman replied. Even though it was phrased as a question, the demand was obvious in the Caped Crusader's voice.

Happy to oblige, Danny smirked wider and hummed gleefully to himself. "Aw, don't worry your horned little head, Batsy. They were just a bunch kid-peddling scumbags." The boy tilted his head to the side. "I know this might be hard to process- truly, I do –but human-trafficking is where a lot of us perps draw the line, especially when it involves kids. Trust me; these dirt-bags had what was coming to them."

"That may be true, but that's why we have the justice system." Batman replied.

"Oh please!" Danny snapped, rolling his eyes as he scoffed. "Even if the justice system actually did something right for once, it's not like it would've mattered. Someone would've eventually killed them in jail! This way, I get to have fun, and I save the courts a whole shit ton of money."

The teen thought he saw the Dark Knight sigh, but he couldn't be sure. Batman asked, "What happened?"

Though his smirk stayed, a spark of confusion lit in Danny's eyes at the question. He glanced back at the red-stained snow and mess of bodies behind him before his blue eyes found the Dark Knight's white lenses again. "Seriously Bats, are you going blind or something? What does it look like I did?"

"That's not what I meant." Batman replied. He repeated, _"What happened?"_

Danny struggled to keep his smile on his face as he tried to decipher the meaning behind the Caped Crusader's words. It took a minute or two before the forced smile relaxed, the blue-eyed teen saying, "Oh… I get it now. What happened _to us_, right? What happened _to me_? Well, let's think about it like this: you're water, and I'm oil. You can figure it out from there."

"That's not-" Batman started but grunted when the ground suddenly rumbled underneath him. Stumbling back, the Dark Knight watched as the ground cracked and splintered, all coming from one central point between him and Danny. There, the ground opened up, slabs of concrete and mounds of gravel falling into oblivion. A glass-shattering shriek pierced the Dark Knight's ears, causing him to slam his hands down over them. Batman watched as a clawed hand grabbed the edge of the void and then another, pulling the figure of a massive, black bat into view. Batman was motionless as the strange creature seemed to look all around before coming to focus on him. As the creature's eyes locked onto the darkly-clad figure, its face twisted into a snarl before letting out another shriek.

Unafraid, a black-eyed Danny smirked behind it.

Despite what his eyes were telling him, Batman knew what he saw wasn't real. Whatever was happening had to be Danny's doing. The Dark Knight reached up, pressing a button on the side of his cowl just as Danny yelled, "Scared yet, Batsy?" Ear-plugs and blacked-out shades blocked out the physical world around him, the same way they always did whenever Count Vertigo was around. However, though Batman could no longer see or hear the rest of the world, the figure of the menacing bat remained in his sight, screeching at him angrily. Closing his eyes didn't help any, either. The bat creature remained.

What was going on?!

Suddenly, Danny's distorted voice whispered, "Your equipment can't help you if it's all in your head."

Batman hardly had any time to process this before there was a sharp pain in the back of his head and then it was truly black. No bats, no voices, no anything.

Danny stood up from his crouched position beside the Dark Knight as the inky-black in his eyes dispersed. His eyes blue once more, Danny hummed hollowly to himself before turning on his heel, sauntering in the direction the tracks of the bus disappeared. As he wandered along, he noticed how the snow had begun to rain down harder, covering the landscape much quicker than before. The puff of fog that lingered in front of his mouth seemed heavier as well.

The teen's steps slowed to a stop. Danny stared into the distance for a long while, contemplative, before looking back at the prone figure rapidly becoming buried under pristine, white snow. It would be easy to leave the Dark Knight there. He'd be highly susceptible to hypothermia; hell, maybe Batman would even stay unconscious long enough to succumb to it completely. Then Danny would be free of the Dark Knight forever. He'd never have to deal with that piece of shit again! It would be the ultimate win!

A sigh left the blue-eyed boy's mouth, the air fogging in front of his mouth. Danny knew he should be happy at getting close to something other villains only hoped to aspire, but the thought of Batman being dead made him feel...sad. He didn't really know why. For a moment, he thought it may have been the memories they shared, but he'd long convinced himself that it was all bullshit. So... Why did he find himself just as attached as he had been before?

Another sigh. Danny turned, wandering back to where Batman laid in the snow. As the teen grabbed the bigger man's arm, he mumbled, "God, I hate you." However, that didn't stop the teen from heaving the Dark Knight up until he was leaning uncertainly against Danny's smaller form. The teen trudged through the snow, in the direction of the warehouse he had been in previously. The snow stung his face as he went, but Danny continued on, nonetheless.

Finally, the two forms entered the large complex, and some feet inside, Danny dropped his cargo unceremoniously to the floor, breathing a little heavier than normal. The crisp air stung his throat, but that was just another thing the boy shoved aside to deal with later. Danny went around to the various cages, gathering up what blankets were inside before heading back to where the Dark Knight was lying on the floor. Danny dumped them all on top of Batman with little to no effort as to where he placed them. After, he merely stood by the Dark Knight's body, glaring at him irritably. "You better be thankful for this. It would've been really easy to leave you out in the snow, you know?" Yet another sigh left the teen's lips. Danny shook his head and began walking for the open door. He stepped outside and began to shut it, but not before calling back to the prone form on the floor, "I'm sure I'll see you soon, Bats. See you then."

The words echoed off the walls as Danny shut the door behind him, but they died off long before the Dark Knight ever got a chance to hear them.

* * *

Some hours after Danny had left, Batman's still form released a groan, the back of his head pounding ferociously. For a moment, the Dark Knight debated getting up, but his strange surroundings- the cool concrete beneath him, the howling wind, something beating against tin -finally pushed Batman to get up. The blankets- where did those come from? -on top of him fell away, pooling around his waist. Tiredly, the Dark Knight rubbed his face before dropping his gloved hands, looking about his surroundings. It took less than a minute for the Dark Knight to recognize the warehouse he was in, the snowstorm that had picked up outside, but confusion clouded his mind. He hadn't been in the warehouse when he had been knocked out; he had been outside. How did he get in here?

_It was Danny_, Batman's mind whispered. That didn't make sense, though. Danny had made it very clear that he would dance on his grave, should the opportunity ever present itself. Why bother sheltering him from the snowstorm outside?

Another question: what the hell had the teen done to him? That strange hallucination type thing was beyond anything the Dark Knight had encountered before. He'd dealt with illusions of all kinds before, but... What Danny had done had been inside his head. Once it was there, there was no expelling it until Danny said so. It was a great power for sure, but... How had Danny accessed it?

Batman sighed, very much like Danny just some hours ago, and stood up. His muscles ached and protested at the movement, but such a thing was easy to ignore. The Caped Crusader rolled his shoulders and looked around again, only to find the same surroundings as before. He half-expected Danny to suddenly pop out of nowhere and yell, "Surprise! Time to die!" Batman shook his head at the thought and mumbled, "Oh Danny, why must you complicate everything?"


	14. Crash Your Party

Ch.14: Crash Your Party

The boy's eyes were impressive for sure. They sparkled brightly in the harsh lighting and the shade matched the day sky almost to a tee. It would be easy to get lost within them, should anyone look into them long enough. Yes, they were impressive, indeed. They were also totally _wasted_ on this teen.

Jasper Dixon glanced down at the invitation in his hands before raising his eyes back up to the boy waiting patiently beside him. He'd seen the same invitation a few dozen times already tonight, and as it was his job, Jasper had ushered the people that had brought them inside to the event being hosted. The older man was obliged to send the youngster in on after all of the others, but _damn it_, Jasper was having a hard time getting the words out of his mouth.

It was tempting to send the raven-haired _brat_ away, even if it would cause a ruckus from the boy. It'd be totally worth it, though. The teen had been within Jasper's presence for all of two minutes, and the older man was sure he had never met a ruder person in his life (that even included his hag of an ex-wife). Yes, it was tempting, alright, _but..._

With an inaudible sigh, Jasper waved the boy into the event, despite his temptations. The only thing keeping him from causing a scene was the thought of losing his job. Despite the objectifying looks many of the elitists gave him, his boss, Mr. Bruce Wayne, was a swell guy, if a bit flighty, and Jasper was happy to work for him. There was no reason to jeopardize his work for something so petty.

As the boy slipped inside Wayne Manor's door, his smile turned smug. Jasper bit his tongue from saying something he would later regret and turned to the next person in line.

Time went on, new patrons appeared, and Jasper forgot all about the boy with blue eyes. The crowd thinned as it got later into the night, leaving only a few "fashionably late" (how was it fashionable to be late?) stragglers for Jasper to deal with here and then. Overall, it was a boring and uneventful night, and when he grew impatient at his slowly ticking clock, Jasper had to remind himself that 'boring' and 'uneventful' were two things one would want for a party in Gotham City.

As midnight began rolling around, a handful of attendees- most of them being small families with young children -began leaving the event inside, despite the party being in full swing. As the partygoers left, their beloved darlings sleeping in their arms, Jasper politely smiled and wished them a good night. Many of the parents responded in kind, brightening Jasper's drear night the tiniest bit.

Jasper was just wishing a buzzed couple a good night when the manor's fire alarms began ringing. The couple glanced back confusedly, and Jasper did as well, his face scrunching up in mild concern. However, it shut off within minutes, so the old man thought nothing of the strange occurrence.

Only a few minutes after the fire alarm incident, though, there was a series of _P-P-P-P-P-POWS _from inside the manor, startling the elderly doorman as screams followed the strange sounds. Jasper's heart jumped into his throat as he wandered what had happened. Without thinking, the doorman hurried inside of the manor and down the hall in the direction of the ballroom. It did not occur to Jasper that he may very well be hurrying into a vicious scene; he simply had to see what had caused such fright in so many people.

The doors to the ballroom were thrown wide open. Even from down the hall, Jasper could see men and women on the ground, their arms flung protectively over their heads. The cries of terrified children echoed down the hallway, and murmurs of horrified adults settled into the background. Overtop of the voices, someone called, "Anyone seen the ditz hosting this fancy-shmansy shindig?"

The voice was harsh and mean. It and the glimpse of the attendees should've given Jasper enough incentive to turn tail and flee. However, Jasper foolishly continued to creep forward. He peeked in the open ballroom doors curiously. The figure Jasper saw should not have surprised him, but his eyes widened all the same.

The figure was of average height, but his form still came off as larger than life and imposing. The man sauntered about with confidence in his steps, the sound of his combat boots slapping against the floor bouncing off the walls. A chain jingled from the loops of the figure's jeans, and his leather jacket showed off his lithe frame. But the figure's most impressive attributes? The glaring, snarling wolf mask and the automatic shotgun in his hand.

For a moment, Jasper simply watched the form in slight awe. He gasped, however, when the figure turned suddenly. The armed man seemed to perk in the older man's direction just as Jasper ducked behind the ballroom doors again, hurrying back down the hallway as he pulled his ancient cell-phone from his pocket. As he raced along, Jasper punched in the numbers 9-1-1, just as he should've when he had heard the gunshots, and held the phone to his ear. He was almost to the door when the masked figure suddenly slid out of another hallway in front of him, pointing the gun in Jasper's direction.

In the older man's ear, a female voice said, _"This is 9-1-1. What's your emergency?"_

"Now, now. I can't have you running to the police, can I?" The figure asked, his voice sugary sweet and yet fatally serious simultaneously.

_"__Hello? Is anyone there?"_

Jasper opened his mouth, ready to plead with this masked figure for his life, but the gunman interjected before he could, saying in his artificially sweet voice, "Don't go begging please. Look; I'm a nice guy. Really, I am. Don't let my punk-ass demeanor fool you." The figure held up his hands in surrender, the gun dangling loosely from the young man's fingers. Casually, the figure continued, "Let's just go back to the ballroom, ok? You'll be ok if you just listen."

Despite the person in front of him wielding an automatic shotgun, Jasper felt his tense shoulders beginning to relax the tiniest bit. If he just did as the masked figure told him, he would live to see another day.

At his signal, Jasper began turning around and walking towards the ballroom.

_"__Sir? Ma'am? Is anyone there? If you're there, please say something if you need me to call the police."_

Jasper stopped when the figure laughed darkly right behind him. The man rapidly whipped around, only to have the cool metal of the barrel of the gun pressed against his skull. Jasper looked upon the wolf mask with fear in his eyes, and though he couldn't see it, he knew the young man behind it was smirking.

The masked figure laughed again and said, "Ha-ha, I was just kidding. _Fear my punk-ass_."

Jasper opened his mouth to scream but-

_POW!_

_Thump._

_ "__Hello? Hello! Was that a gunshot?! Whoever is on the line, the police have been dispatched. I am tracing your call. I repeat, the police have been dispatched. They're on their way now."_

(As the story goes, curiosity killed Jasper.)

* * *

_Some Hours Before…_

His smile sweet and patient, Danny waited to see if the aged man would catch that his invitation to Bruce Wayne's masquerade party was a fake. The boy didn't think he would- Danny had purposefully pissed him off to make sure the man would be frazzled when inspecting his invitation –but the thought of being caught kept hanging over his head, much in the same way a guillotine would. Danny refused to show his slight nervousness, however, keeping his face a perfect mask of arrogant amusement. The doorman glanced at the teen out of the corner of his eye, oblivious to the teen's slight, heavy inhale, and then the man looked back down at the invitation again. With an inaudible sigh, the doorman waved his hand towards the door without saying anything.

A smug smile adorning his expression, Danny slipped right in, his head held high and his steps as confident as the Man of Steel himself.

It was a short walk to the ballroom at the end of the hall. As Danny walked through the open double doors, the teen's sparkling blue eyes scanned the crowd around him. Danny didn't miss the many eyes looking him up and down, trying to gauge the new stranger amongst the sea of familiars. They scrutinized his fearless posture. Raised their eyebrows at his overflowing pride. Danny met their stares with a winning smile as he flowed eagerly into the crowd, acting as if he belonged there, even when it was obvious that he didn't.

But hey, at least it worked.

Many of the party-goers came up and spoke with Danny when they saw an opportunity, staking out the newcomer and wondering where he stood on the success scale. Danny just smiled charmingly back, answered their questions, and pretended he cared about what they told him. In reality, he would've loved to sock their ego-loving faces in- _no one_ was allowed to have a bigger ego than Danny! _No one!_ –but that would've hurt his cover just _a lot_. So, Danny played nice and vowed to destroy them all later.

It was almost midnight when the teen slipped away from another suffocating group of preps. All of them were playing professional victims at the moment, and Danny needed to breathe. Otherwise, his mouth would undoubtedly open, out would come a, "Aw, you _poor, precious little snowflake_," and adios charming, polite image he had conjured about himself. Sure, it'd be totally worth it, but again, he really needed to keep his image intact.

Danny wandered towards the snack bar, his eyes wandering to the scenery around him. There wasn't much to see. One could only take looking at men in expensive suits and women in lavish dresses for so long before it got old.

Just as the teen looked down at the high-tech watch on his wrist, Danny ran into another figure. The teen grunted, and though the collision had been his fault, he growled, "Hey, watch it!"

The other figure quickly whirled around to see who had run into him, and the boy cursed under his breath when he saw who the other was. Bruce Wayne began stuttering, "Oh, hey, I'm so sorry," but stopped before the entire statement could leave his mouth. Bruce's eyes widened at the sight of the teen, and Danny looked back up at him confusedly. The two's blue eyes remained lock for a few moments, trying to figure out the other, but the moment was broken when a woman called, "Brucie, is everything alright, darling?"

It took seconds for Danny and Bruce to shake everything off. Both replaced their inquisitive looks with easy smiles and bright eyes. Danny laughed nervously at the older man and said, "Oh, wow, I'm so sorry about running into you and snapping like that. It's not a very good first impression, is it?"

Bruce chuckled good-naturedly before replaying, "No, it's alright. These events can bring out the worst in people sometimes." The billionaire held out his hand for Danny to take as he said, "What's your name, young man? I'm-"

"Bruce Wayne." Danny interjected, reaching out and taking the offered hand with a strained smile. "Not to be snarky, but I don't think there's a news station in America that doesn't love to slap your darling face all over the television."

The playboy rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he replied, "I guess that's true, isn't it?"

Danny hummed as their hands dropped. "My name's Anderson, Mr. Wayne. I'm the son of the district attorney in Metropolis. A friend invited me along tonight, but I lost her in the crowd somewhere."

"Oh, I see. Maybe I could help you find this lovely lady if you'll just give me her name?" Bruce said, his blue eyes flitting suspiciously to the crowd before focusing on the teen in front of him again.

_Yeah, how bout no, _Danny thought as he shook his head and smiled bashfully. He held up his hands as he replied, "No, it's alright. I'll just text her to meet me outside. We need to be heading out anyway."

"If you say so." Bruce replied, once again reaching out to shake the younger male's hand. Danny suppressed a sigh as he took the hand once again as Bruce continued, "I hope you had a good time."

"Always. I can't recall Gotham City ever failing to amuse." Danny said, stepping away from the older man and slipping away. The teen was only a few steps away from Bruce when Danny thought he heard the billionaire mumble, "That's because you're the one causing the trouble." Danny whipped around, an indignant question on his lips. It died when he saw that Bruce Wayne had mysteriously disappeared.

Eyes wide and tensions suddenly high, Danny glanced at the crowd around him, searching for the billionaire. It didn't matter how long he looked, though. Bruce Wayne was gone, leaving a discomforted teen boy in his wake.

There was something wrong with that man, Danny decided. The man's comment was still ringing in his ears, and the look of recognition on his face was permanently burned into Danny's memory. There was also something eerily familiar about Bruce, now that the teen thought about it. But whom did he remind Danny of, for they surely hadn't met before? His memory wasn't the greatest with faces, but Danny was sure he would've remembered _that_ encounter. So then, where and of whom?

His eyes alert for anything else strange, Danny began weaving through the crowd, heading for the double doors that would serve as his exit. He reminded himself that it didn't matter how uneasy Bruce Wayne made him. The billionaire was just another target that would soon just be another name to add to his ever-growing list.

The boy left the ballroom and entered the hallway. Danny walked down the hall, slipping quickly into the bathroom some yards away from the large room's double doors. He locked the bathroom door behind him, and without any hesitation, Danny began stripping himself of the suit he was wearing.

Within minutes, the expensive suit he had (naturally) stolen was tossed into the pristine, white sink, and Phantom's favorite leather jacket was fixed snugly over the teen's shoulders. The teen grinned at himself in the mirror, but the effect was hidden by the wolf mask covering his features. Phantom shrugged casually anyway, pulled a cigarette lighter from his pocket, and set the suit in the sink aflame.

As the clothes burned, erasing any of Phantom's existence with it, the teen himself picked a metal grate off the ground and placed it back over the air-vent he had snatched it from. The vent had proven to be a wonderful place for his 'work clothes.' The only trouble he had was sneaking them in, but even that was easier than normal. Everyone had been too occupied with preparing for the party that they hadn't noticed the teen that was dressed improperly for work.

Just as Phantom was fixing on the last screw for the grate, the fire alarms began going off. The teen was unfazed. He simply walked over to the sink, flipped on the faucet, and watched as the flames rapidly extinguished under the wave of water. The ashes crackled as the majority of them washed down the drain, gone as quickly as they had been made.

Once most of the evidence was gone, Phantom turned off the faucet as the fire alarms stopped ringing. He grabbed the AA-12 resting peacefully on the sink, went to the door, and quickly left the restroom.

As the teen wandered down the hallway to the ballroom again, Phantom bowed his head, hiding the snarl on his mask. The boy pressed the shotgun into his thigh, camouflaging it partially against his black jeans. Nobody noticed him as he entered the ballroom again, stopping a few feet from the double doors.

Phantom lifted his head the slightest bit, his eyes scanning the crowd. A smirk twitched at the edges of his lips as he suddenly pointed the AA-12 at the ceiling and shouted, _"Everyone on the ground!"_

_ P-P-P-P-P-POW!_

Screams rang out from the crowd as everyone ducked, dropping to the floor as their arms flew over their heads to protect themselves. Children wailed shrilly. Phantom winced as the shrieks and the echoing gunfire pierced his ears. He knew he should've worn some sort of ear protection, but now wasn't the time to ponder his mistake. With the gun of the barrel still pointing up, Phantom strode forward, allowing everyone to catch a glimpse of him as he sauntered around. The teen's eyes attempted to find the billionaire hosting the party, but Bruce Wayne seemed to be nowhere in sight.

With a huff, Phantom shouted irritably, "Anyone seen the ditz hosting this fancy-shmansy shindig?"

No one answered, but then, what did Phantom expect from a group of terrified people?

The boy turned suddenly, prepared to re-scan the entire room again, when he caught movement from the door, followed by the resounding sound of shoes slapping against the ground. Phantom turned, racing for a different exit he knew would allow him to intercept the runner. As he disappeared out the door, he called behind, "I'll kill anyone that moves, got it?!"

The escapee turned out to be the doorman from before. It was easy taking the old man out, and fun too. People were always so trusting when their lives were in danger…

The slight intermission only lasted a few minutes. Soon, Phantom was back amongst the crowd he had left in a more pleasurable mood than before. The people easily sensed his new mood and found themselves terrified, their eyes locked onto the bloody boot-prints the figure left in his wake. The echoing gunshot that had come from the hallway ringed in their ears like a heavy warning, deterring any ambitious thoughts they harbored.

"Wow. You guys are great listeners, you know that?" Phantom called teasingly to the crowd. He stopped in the center of the room, one hand on his hip and his figure tall and proud. Phantom looked patiently around the large room again, searching keenly for his target. Casually, Phantom called, "Anyone seen Bruce Wayne? He's kind of the guy I'm looking for. I know a lot of you probably won't give him up, but if it helps, the faster I find him, the faster you get to go home. Come on guys, that's a deal! Especially since this is Gotham City, the only city in the United States where your head can be blown up simply because you weren't funny."

The teen's words echoed off the walls, bouncing back at him. Despite his promise, no one spoke up to give away the billionaire. Phantom's head swiveled around, looking for the person that seemed guilty of treachery, but it seemed that no one had any idea where Phantom's target was. The boy's fingers gripped his beloved weapon the slightest bit tighter as he called, "_Seriously?_ No one knows where Wayne is? Come on! He was _just_ here; this is _his_ damn party. One of you little ingrates has to have seen him."

"Unfortunately for you, no one has. You just missed him."

Phantom froze at the familiar voice. His shock lasted for a mere moment before it was drowned out by rage. Phantom growled. "Are you _kidding me?!" _The masked teen whirled around, his AA-12 becoming trained on the unfazed figure on the other side of the ballroom. Phantom yelled, "This has to be some joke. There's no _possible_ way for you to be here so fast. I left nothing for you to track; the cops were only alerted a few minutes ago. How the _hell_ are you getting in my way _again_?!"

"Doesn't matter." Batman answered, a shining bat-a-rang in each of his hands. "I'm here, and you won't get away this time."

The masked teen let out a humorless laugh as he replied, "Won't let me get away like the last couple times we met? Come on, Bats. Stop kidding yourself. You should just hand Wayne over now, let me kill you, and then let me get on with my life. It'd sure be easier without you in it."

"If you wanted to kill me, you would've done so in Nashville. Instead, you let me live. I wonder why that is." Batman commented, his eyes narrowing at the teen.

Phantom's shoulders tensed up at the jab, but otherwise, the statement didn't seem to phase the masked teen. He _hmph_ed in the Dark Knight's direction and replied, "I didn't think about it before, but if I'm going to kill you, I want you to be conscious for it. You shouldn't be allowed to die peacefully. You should suffer."

The Dark Knight rolled his eyes behind his mask.

With confused expressions growing on each of their faces, the Gothamites watched the confrontation unfold in front of their eyes. By now, they had all expected the Dark Knight to- oh, what was it that Batman did again? Oh, right –_save them_. Instead, Batman was standing there, looking a lot like…_a frustrated parent? What? _To make matters worse, the masked figure was actually responding to the treatment very much like _a guilty child avoiding punishment_ would. When had the two, a hero and a villain, become close enough to form this kind of relationship?

(See, this was the sort of crap that kept people wary of Batman, even after all the crap he did for the world.)

Carefully, Batman suddenly took a step forward, and though it was obvious he saw it, Phantom didn't visibly react. The Dark Knight took that as a good sign. He said, "Look. Wayne is gone. You can consider your mission terminated. There's nothing here for you. Let these people go. You and I can go somewhere else. We can…talk."

"We _are_ talking, dipshit."

"You know what I meant."

"Why would I do _that_, Bats? The only thing keeping you from literally knocking sense into my brain is-"

"I want _Mama!"_

"-the hostages…" Phantom finished lamely, his shoulders sagging as his eyes met the scene of a crying child to his side. Both he and Batman had stricken looks on their face as a man attempted to shush the young girl, futile as it was. The man's eyes kept glancing towards the two, imposing figures in the room, the expression in them pleading for nothing to happen. Under his breath, Phantom mumbled, "_Shit…_"

Why hadn't the teen been more sensitive to this? Phantom had heard some kids crying when he had shot at the roof, but when had he forgot that they were there, shushed by adults to avoid detection? _Damn it_, his mission hadn't been to scar a bunch of children! What was wrong with him?

Phantom took a deep breath to calm his thoughts before he reached out to the child with his powers. Though it couldn't be seen because of his mask, Phantom's eyes had become black, drowning out the comforting blue. Everyone in the room watched anxiously as the masked figure became eerily still. They had no idea what his deal was, but it couldn't be good, for Batman snapped, "Don't you_ dare._"

"Chill out, Bats." Phantom replied, smiling at his work.

The girl, through her tears, had suddenly gone still, looking at the air in front of her curiously. The man that had been attempting to calm her before grew concerned when the girl's eyes began following something he could not see, but it turned to shock when the child giggled suddenly, her hand reaching out to touch something. Surprised, everyone gazed at the terrifying villain in surprised. Batman's shoulders relaxed.

"Kids are off-limits, remember?" Phantom said. The masked teen smiled for a moment, but he knew that now wasn't the time for distractions. Phantom forced his attention back on the Dark Knight. The masked teen began stepping backwards, his shotgun still pointed at Batman. The Caped Crusader watched with growing apprehension. Phantom called, "You know what, Bats? I'll give you this one. Bruce Wayne certainly isn't here. _But_…"

Batman tensed up, his grip on his bat-a-rangs growing tighter.

"…that doesn't mean I can't go find him, does it?"

The Dark Knight threw the projectiles just as Phantom finished his statement. The boy had already guessed Batman's move, however, and dodged out of the way just in a nick of time. The sharp blades flew right by the boy as he quickly fired his gun at the woman closest to him, eliciting a sharp scream of pain from her. Phantom quickly ducked out of the closest ballroom doors after, fleeing down the long hallway, laughter echoing in his wake.

Batman growled after the teen but went to the bleeding woman first. She was sobbing as she pressed her hand over the bullet wound, dark, crimson blood oozing between her fingers and staining her elegant dress. The Dark Knight directed another lady close by to help calm the panicked woman as he ripped up her bloody skirts and used them to make a tourniquet . The Dark Knight also wrapped the wound up, and just as he promised to stay with the woman until paramedics arrived, an entire squad of police officers suddenly stormed the building. Batman continued speaking to the injured woman until Gordon came up behind them. Batman left the woman with the commissioner and stormed off, racing to catch up with the teen he had promised to catch.

Batman looked all up and down the mansion for Danny, but he was nowhere to be found. The Dark Knight spent hours scouring Gotham high and low, but the teen had dropped off the radar faster than Dick could have said, 'Holy spooks, Batman!' There would be no finding Danny, either, until he decided to pop up again on his own.

Sighing, the Dark Knight rubbed his face tiredly before dropping his hands to his sides again. He turned on his heel, prepared to begin the long journey home, but stopped short when he saw another figure on the other side of the rooftop.

Danny waved, a teasing smile gracing his lips. The boy's wolf mask dangled from his throat.

A glare settled firmly on the Dark Knight's face, masking the surprise that he felt at the teen's sudden reappearance. With a quiet _hmph_, Batman sarcastically asked, "What? Couldn't find your target?"

If the jab annoyed the teen, he didn't show it. Danny merely shrugged as he leaned against the metal leg of a conveniently placed water-tower. The boy replied, "Well, I was kind of relying on you to lead me to him, but all you did was remind me of how much an unreliable prick you are."

Batman didn't reply to the jab. He didn't know how to combat it, truthfully. The hidden meaning behind Danny's words eluded the Dark Knight. It was much better to stay silent than say something stupid because of a petty dig at Batman's pride.

Besides, there was something suddenly…off about the teen. He looked the same, and there was no faking the devious grin Danny always wore- that blasted accessory of his. But while the teen looked the part, he didn't carry the same air around him, the same energy. It had been present when Batman had been facing him in the ballroom, but sometime during the break, it had all drained away. Despite his attempts to hide it behind his usual expressions, Danny looked exhausted.

The boy's sudden tiredness did not curb his perceptiveness, however. When Danny saw that Batman wasn't going to say anything on the subject matter he had introduced, the teen elaborated his earlier statement, saying, "See, I figured you'd immediately go to wherever Bruce Wayne was stashed away. So, I cloaked myself in invisibility and followed you, hoping to overthrow your plan of foiling my plan. Yes, that is a mouthful.

"For the first part of my plan, it worked! Following you is really easy when you're not trying to throw someone off your trail. Thanks, Batsy, for making that so damned easy." Danny said, smiling cheekily at the end. Batman didn't even blink in reply. The teen shrugged at his lack of responsiveness and continued, "Obviously, however, the rest of my plan did not as I hoped it would…

"I did not let my time go to waste, though. I started thinking about some things, figuring that maybe that I could figure out where you would stash someone of Wayne's importance. Don't know how, but, somehow, that led me to thinking about when I talked to him tonight. We didn't talk for long or anything, but he was…weird. (That's rich coming from me, I know.) When he first saw me, his eyes lit up like the fourth of July, or something poetic like that. And then, as I was leaving, he mumbled something a little…personal under his breath. It was like he knew me." Danny said carefully, looking for any sign that said that the Dark Knight was unsettled. There was none. Danny narrowed his blue eyes slightly, but otherwise, his amused expression did not change.

Picking and choosing his words, the teen continued, "But Bruce couldn't know who I am, right? My secret I.D. isn't public knowledge, and I'm sure I'd remember fucking Bruce Wayne's life before. So how could he possibly know who I am?" Tauntingly, the teen looked to the sky, as if in thought, and tapped his chin in a thoughtful manner. "And while we're at it, I wonder how you showed up and grabbed Wayne so fast. I mean, there's no possible way you could have known I was in the neighborhood, so how? It's not like you're Bruce Wayne or anything, right?" Danny's blue eyes came back to rest on Batman, twinkling in the dim light. The teen waited for some kind of response. Batman gave him none.

But that, in itself, was as good an answer as any.

Teasingly, Danny cooed, "Aw. Batsy, is there something you need to tell me?"

"There's nothing to tell." Batman replied. He confirmed nothing with his statement, but there wasn't a denial either. It was how Danny predicted the man would react. By confirming or denying nothing, it would feel like the Dark Knight was patiently listening to a child with a ludicrous story. Danny knew that was the Dark Knight's tactic, but still, he could not fend off the twinge of doubt in his stomach. However, there was no time for doubt at the moment, and besides, Danny had already gone and spoke his mind. There was no turning back now.

Danny squashed whatever uncertainty he felt by telling himself, _Bats has a frikkin butler. If that doesn't scream 'wealthy billionaire,' I don't know what does._

"I'm curious, though." Batman commented, bringing Danny from his musings. When the teen looked carefully, he could see the Dark Knight tilting his head to the side as he asked, "What do you plan on doing with that assumption of yours?"

Another not confirmation but not denial. Stupid Bat.

Danny shrugged and looked back up to the sky. "Nothing, probably. I don't see a way of sinking your ship without you dragging mine down too. I made a mistake letting you know so much about me."

(That did not hurt, Batman told himself. That did not hurt at all.)

"I guess the only thing I can do now is mourn all my conspiracy theories." Danny sighed, beginning to step back away from his spot in the middle of the rooftop. Batman watched as the teen grew closer and closer to the edge of the roof, but he did nothing to stop him. The teen grinned knowingly as he continued, "Up until now, I was convinced that you're an alien sent from outer-space to gain our trust before the rest of your kind infiltrated the Earth. It kinda sucks that you're just a dude in bat-suit."

Batman rolled his eyes. Danny laughed a little as he turned, ready to jump, but he paused before he stepped off. He looked over his shoulder and said, "Oh, by the way, I stole a good ten thousand from Wayne for a project I'm working on. Sorry about that. Didn't know it was you."

"Wait, what?!" Batman called as Danny quickly hopped off the edge of the building, laughter echoing in his wake. It died off quickly, and when Batman raced to the edge of the building, Danny was gone. The Dark-Knight growled under his breath at the empty air and mumbled, "I knew I was missing some cash…"

* * *

"I feel like a traitor to my own cause right now…" Danny mumbled as he slipped in through a window awkwardly, closing it behind him quietly when he was finally on his feet again. Danny turned around, breathing a deep sigh and brushing off the grime on his clothes. The boy looked around the apartment he had snuck into, his stiff shoulders unwinding as he relaxed. Unwittingly, a relieved but hollow smile began to twitch at the corners of his lips. Danny said, "Hello hideout. How's it going?"

There was no response. Heck, there wasn't even an echo. The walls of the one-room apartment were too close to allow it. Danny's voice fell flat as soon as he finished his comment. Danny was used to the silence, though. He visited enough for his senses to grow accustomed to the quiet.

But that didn't mean he had to like it.

Humming to the tune of a song he had heard on the way from Gotham, Danny paced around the old apartment, kicking up the dust that lingered. The boy's blue eyes looked this way and that slowly, his brain conjuring up phantom images _(phantom! Ha!) _of the way things used to be. Danny could still remember clearly the tables lining the walls, the mattress stuffed underneath one of them. The cluttered mess of equipment on the tabletops, and the light of the holograms flashing across the walls. A distant voice saying, _"Danny, I have a new job for you." _

Danny suppressed the grin that threatened to split his face in two. "Not anymore, Batsy."

The teen continued humming as he wandered to one of the bare, empty corners. Danny pressed his back against the wall, sliding down slowly to the floor. The teen made a face, and his nose crinkled at all the dust as he hit the ground finally, but otherwise, he did not make a complaint. Danny let another sigh, allowing the still atmosphere to blanket his mind and slow it down.

For some time, the teen just sat and let his thoughts wander aimlessly around, skipping between his ideas and opinions without any sensible pattern. The corners of Danny's lips twitched up, then down, before pulling up again. At some point, the teen mused, _I miss this place._

It was strange. Most others would despise the place where so many things became royally fucked up for them, but Danny just couldn't muster up the feeling. Here, all of the teen's anger and hate became drowned out, watered down, and the teen could only blame it on all the joyous memories he harbored from the apartment. Oh, how Danny missed the old days, when everything was so complicatedly simple.

Oh, how Danny missed the Dark Knight, despite all of the anger he harbored for the man.

Danny rested his head against the wall behind him as he thought, remembering all of the things that used to be: Batman slipping in through the window, the fights they took part in, the older man's emotionless teases, his probing questions, the casual _"I'll see you next crisis._" The two weren't very dynamic, Danny thought with amusement, but damn it, if their relationship wasn't special in its own, unique way. For that, Danny found himself treasuring it the most, its place in his heart only rivaled by that of his love for his two friends. There was not one person, no past mentor, that could ever hope to live up to the Dark Knight's place (not that they cared).

The teen mused the good times, a reminiscent and happy smile gracing his face. His humming slowed, and Danny remained uncharacteristically still. There was no way to tell how long he sat in content quiet, but it didn't last nearly long enough.

Soon, the teen's smile lowered into a frown, and his humming died off. Yet another sigh left his lips, and Danny raked his fingers through his tangled, raven locks in a frustrated manner.

As much joy as it had brought him, the Dark Knight's attitude had been precisely the reason things had gone down the sparkling, porcelain toilet of life. Before Batman, no one had expected anything other than chaos from him. _Nobody._ Not even Sam and Tucker. (In fact, his anger-inducing personality was what they loved in the first place.) They didn't expect him to give them anything in return for their patience and teachings and tolerated his presence until it could no longer be tolerated. It's what made going through life so easy, and why Danny had never been able to make connections with others very easily.

With the Dark Knight, though, he _expected_ Danny to contribute to their collaborative effort (as forced as it had started out). He _expected _the teen to give some things up so they could build a real relationship, not just some half-assed partnership that wouldn't last the year. Danny almost wanted to say that it wasn't fair of Batman to make him give so much, but by working with the teen, Batman had to give up things too. He couldn't be as strict or as harsh with the teen as he was with others. Batman knew he had to give the teen leeway, that he had forgive his offenses more than should humanly be possible. Danny would resist change, otherwise. But Batman also knew he couldn't be completely lenient, either. If he did, Danny would just disregard him. Batman had to find a balance between what he knew was right and the pace Danny would change at, and the man did so _without complaint_. The Dark Knight was willing to give all he had, so long as Danny was too, and Batman had been completely sold that the teen would.

Damn it, if that didn't make it hard not to adopt the man's stupid morals! Seriously, letting someone down that was so convinced of Danny's nonexistent, good heart was _hard._ That's why Danny gave in so many times to the Dark Knight. That's why he fucked up Sam's and Tucker's lives so bad. _That's why he started killing in the first place. _Danny had to show _he wasn't a good person_; he had to show the Dark Knight that _he was done giving back_.

_ Danny had to show that Batman meant nothing to him._

And hey! Danny was doing a good job of convincing people of his apathy. Sam and Tucker never worried about him wavering anymore. The convicts of the world practically bowed to his unholiness. The general public was terrified of his existence, and Batman was on the hunt to find him and ship him off to prison. The only person in the world _not_ convinced of Danny's act was Danny himself. For that, the teen hated Batman just as much as he loved him.

No one had to know that, though, and Danny didn't have to acknowledge it. He could keep going on with his parade, pretending while not. No one would be the wiser to his game, so long as Batman never tried to give again. And that, Danny was assured, would never come to pass.


	15. Giving Back, All Over Again

Ch.15: Giving Back, All Over Again

Grunting, Batman pulled the wire tighter, his muscles straining with the effort. The man held his breath as he quickly wrapped the wire around the fire escape's railing, tying the punk-ass drug-dealers up all nice and pretty. The Dark Knight smirked at his work once it was finished, drinking in the sight of the unconscious forms. It was so satisfying to see even low-level scumbags getting their kumupits…

Thoroughly pleased, Batman strode to the side of the fire-escape, prepared to merely jump from the side and swing off into the night. Before he could, though, the shrieking of the Batmobile's alarm stopped the man in his tracks. Batman's face contorted into confusion as he asked himself, "Who the hell is stupid enough to attack the Batmobile?"

* * *

"You know, we're stupid as hell for attacking the Batmobile." Black Thorn shouted over the shrill alarm of the Batmobile, her expression twisted into a grimace and one hand clutched tightly over one ear.

A bat in his hands and a thoughtful expression behind his mask, Drone answered, "Yeah, probably. But hey, now I have bragging rights! How many others can say they took a bat to the Batmobile?"

"If anyone has been stupid enough to do it before us, I'm sure they're dead." Black Thorn replied dryly, shooting a glare made of daggers at the other teen present. "Next time, we're going with my plan."

"But hijacking the Bat-Signal is no fun!"

"I like living to see another day, stupid! And anyway, we're supposed to be masters of stealth! This isn't exactly stealthy!"

"But bragging rights, Thorn! _Bragging rights!"_

"If you could stop being male for one second, that would be _greatly_ appreciated!"

"I need to stop being _a perfectly reasonable male_ when you get pissy every month over a little blood?! How is that fair?!"

"_HEY!_ We don't talk about that!"

"Well now we do! _Whatcha gonna do about it?!"_

"Oh, you wanna know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna take that damned bat _and shove it where the sun don't shine!"_

As the two continued to bicker, their voices rose steadily with the tension, the volume and power of their shouts almost drowning out the Batmobile entirely. Black Thorn and Drone were also so enwrapped in their argument that they _completely_ failed to notice the little, silver balls that rolled to a stop near their feet. The balls continued to go unnoticed until thick, white gas suddenly spewed from them, causing the two morons to panic and foolishly inhale said gas. Two minutes of screaming and breathing in more gas later, the two finally collapsed in disheveled heap on the ground.

Dropping down from his spot on the rooftop above, Batman turned off his obnoxious car alarm and stared at the two bodies at his feet. For some moments, the man just stared at the mercenaries. Not a single emotion flitted across his face, nor did the man seem to be breathing, locked in place like a statue.

Finally, Batman said, "What am I even looking at?"

If anyone was near enough to hear the Dark Knight, they would have immediately shouted, _"Imposter!"_ However, truth be told, Batman was really not all that clear on what he was looking at. Like, he knew who the people at his feet were, but _what the hell was wrong with them?_ They were trained mercenaries, for Pete's sake! They were supposed to be masters of stealth and illusion! Why were masters of stealth and illusion taking bats to Batmobiles and screaming louder than Hades? Did they not know how unprofessional that was? (Because being unprofessional is always the top priority in these situations.)

The worst part of all this was that Batman couldn't even ask the two nicely what they were doing in Gotham City, taking bats to Batmobiles, and screaming louder than Hades. No, the Dark Knight was going to have to wait until the knockout gas finally filtered out of their systems so the Dark Knight could properly sit them down and have a chat.

Batman sighed, wandering towards the Batmobile to grab some more ropes. He was going to need it…

An hour later, the Dark Knight leaned back against the wall behind him and watched the two teens finally come to, groans escaping their mouths in sync. They struggled against their bonds for a moment but gave up quickly when they refused to budge. The confused mercenaries took some time to figure out where they were, Batman waiting patiently all the while. They eventually noticed his presence and that they were- oh, look at that –_upside down, _dangling haphazardly off a fire-escape_._

Black Thorn groaned. "Was it worth it, Drone? Was all this _really_ worth it?"

Drone hummed for a moment and then answered, "Yeah, I think it was."

_"__How the hell was this worth it?!"_

"Let's see here… One, bragging rights! We went over this! And two," Drone started, only to be cut off by Black Thorn before he could finish the sentence. The two erupted into another round of bickering, completely ignoring the vigilante below them. Batman watched the two for a short, his ire rising. Finally, the man snapped, _"HEY!"_

The teens' mouths shut with an audible _click_.

Batman glared at the duo as he said, "You have my attention, but if you keep fighting, I'll just call GCPD to pick you up. Understand?" The two teens nodded solemnly. Batman continued, "Good. Now, why did you try to smash my windshield, and where's everybody's favorite troublemaker? I'm surprised he's not with you."

Drone laughed nervously, prompting Batman to narrow his eyes at him suspiciously. The boy answered, "Um, yeah, you see… Thorn and I have a problem we thought you could help us with, and said problem is 'everybody's favorite troublemaker.'"

"What's Phantom gone and done now?" Batman questioned, his frown twisting further down than it already was. The man crossed his arms over his chest, hiding the yellow bat stretched across the front of his suit.

The two mercenaries dangling from the fire escape glanced at each other, a nervous air suddenly surrounding the two. Batman glanced between Drone and Black Thorn, wondering what was troubling them. Black Thorn finally looked back at the Dark Knight and replied, "The problem isn't what he did. It's what he's gotten himself into. Phantom's missing."

Batman's heart skipped a beat, but the man refused to show his newfound horror on his face. The anxiousness the two teens had suddenly made sense now. Danny was gone? How was that possible? Not even Oracle seemed capable of finding him! And why did the captors need Danny anyway? It couldn't be for anything good, considering the teen's reputation and skill set.

"How long has he been missing? Do you have any information on the ones who kidnapped him?"

"No idea." Drone answered, his voice distraught and his expression solemn behind his mask. "Thorn and I haven't spoken to Phantom in a week 'cause of business reasons. I just went over to his place two days ago to make sure he wasn't, you know, dead or something (quiet Phantoms are never good, as I'm sure you know), and his place was completely trashed. Tables were flipped, computers were smashed, equipment was everywhere and in pieces, and Phantom was gone…"

"He'll be so ticked when we find him." Black Thorn commented drearily.

_No doubt about that_, Batman thought. The raven-haired teen's love for his creations was notorious for its intensity. Black Thorn hit the nail on the head with her statement.

The ebony-haired female suddenly huffed, squirming uncomfortably in her restraints. Black Thorn shot a look from behind her mask at the Dark Knight. She snapped, "Look, are you gonna help us or not? We're wasting time hanging around here."

"I just have one more question." Batman replied. The two teens glanced at each other, wondering what else the Dark Knight could possibly ask of them. They wondered if he would even help, unaware to the fact that the man had made up his mind the second Black Thorn had told him that the boy was in trouble. Batman may not have liked what Danny had become, but much as he liked to try and convince himself otherwise, the man still had an affinity for Danny. Still, there remained one thing that remained unclear to the Dark Knight…

"Why did you come to me for help?" Batman asked. It was the one thing he hadn't worked out quite yet. Black Thorn and Drone were both very capable people, and if they really needed the help as they came off as, it wouldn't have been hard to find someone on the Dark-Net with the skills they needed. So, why?

Black Thorn sighed irritably. Drone didn't let the rather personal question rattle him, though, and answered, "Look, we may have only known of Phantom's disappearance for a short time, but Thorn and I have already tried a dozen things in an attempt to figure out where he's gone. We'd go to someone on the Dark-Net, but well, they're all untrustworthy." Batman snorted at the comment. Drone just continued, "Besides, if anyone figured out that Phantom has gone missing, everyone would go berserk."

"Which leaves us asking one of the good guys for help." Black Thorn interjected, sounding flustered. "And while you're irritating as hell, who else were we supposed to go to? The Boy Scout? _Please…_" Black Thorn paused, and though it was obvious she had more to say, the girl was reluctant to say it. Batman waited patiently for her to continue, but she didn't seem to have any intention to do so. Drone sighed and finished off his friend's speech by saying, "Plus, you're smart, and you and Phantom have a history. We figured you'd be more willing to give a helping hand."

The statement was said with the most solemn of tones, like Drone believed that there wasn't anyone in the world who would've helped him and Black Thorn with their plight. The girl's reluctance to speak suggested that she agreed with the boy as well. Batman knew, though, that if Black Thorn and Drone had gone to another hero, such as Superman or Wonder Woman, they would've received a helping hand, regardless of the teens' life choices. Sure, they would've been watched very closely and undoubtedly locked up in jail at the end of the mission, but that wouldn't have changed the fact that someone needed saving.

But here the duo was, convinced that something as serious as _a missing person_ would be met with apathy. It was…sad.

(It made Danny's retreat all the more painful. Could Batman have changed the boy for the better, had he stuck around just a little longer?)

Batman sighed before climbing up the fire-escape the teens were tied to. He carefully let them down and released them of their bonds, much to the relief of the duo. Drone and Black Thorn spent a few minutes merely sitting on the ground, allowing all the blood in their heads to travel back down to their numb feet. All the while, Batman stood closely by. As he waited patiently, he asked, "Did you two have any other plan besides smashing my windshield with a bat?"

There wasn't even a pause before both teens replied.

"Nope!"

"None whatsoever."

And with those reassuring statements echoing in his head, Batman prepared himself for a _long, miserable _night…

When Black Thorn and Drone finally regained feeling in their toes, they quickly jumped to their feet and, along with Batman, the duo fled to the rooftops. As they climbed the last of the ladders and pulled themselves over the edge of the building, Batman asked, "Besides the obvious carnage, was there anything else out of place in Danny's apartment?"

"Actually, yes." Drone answered. He turned in the Dark Knight's direction and tossed a small object towards him. Batman caught it with ease, holding the item carefully between his fingers. It was a thumb-drive. The vigilante turned a questioning eye to the boy who had thrown the object in the first place. Drone answered, "It wouldn't have been so out-of-place if it hadn't been in one of the far corners of Phantom's base and loaded with firewalls galore."

_Great. _It was going to be one of those nights, Batman realized. The Dark Knight hid his exasperation and asked, "Is this all that was found?"

Both teens nodded. Batman said, "So, all we have now is a missing kid, no time-frame of his disappearance, no conclusive suspects, and a heavily encrypted thumb-drive?"

"Yup."

"Fantastic…"

With very few options on his plate, Batman begrudgingly led the two teens to Wayne Enterprises. It was one of two places the Dark Knight felt completely comfortable working on decoding a heavily encrypted piece of equipment. The other site was, obviously, the Bat-Cave, but ha-ha, _yeah_, Batman would rather skinny-dip in a vat of acid than take either teen in his headquarters. The Dark-Knight may have allowed the missing member of the Crime Trio there, once upon a time, but that was a long time ago.

On the bright side, though, both Drone and Black Thorn demonstrated that they could pull their own weight, allowing them to make good timing to the Wayne Enterprises building. At that time, Batman strictly ordered them to follow his lead and began the always pleasurable experience of breaking into his own building to keep his secret identity safe. Fortunately, the two teens did exactly as they were instructed and did so without complaint. It was one of the few blessings of the night.

Batman led the duo to the building's biggest lab, where he swiftly hopped onto one of the quiet computers and began booting it up. Behind him, Drone and Black Thorn bickered about something that the Dark Knight had tuned out some minutes before. They sounded like a couple of children who weren't getting their way, which was just fine with Batman. If they were distracted with themselves, they wouldn't pay attention to the vigilante, allowing him to work in relative peace.

(It was weird seeing the two acting so volatile. Danny's disappearance was really screwing them up.)

Once the computer was on, Batman plugged in the silver and green drive he had been given. It took .2 seconds for the 'firewalls galore' Drone had described to pop up on the screen. The Dark Knight dove right into the mess, praying it wasn't as bad as it looked. The man had thought Drone had merely been off his game when he said he couldn't crack the drive, but looking at the mess now, Batman wasn't so sure of that assumption anymore…

But then, what did Batman expect, honestly? It was Danny's life goal to make everything as complicated as it could be, and while this tactic had been good to him over the years, it was going to get the teen killed one of these days.

(_If he isn't already dead already_, Batman thought drearily. He pushed his dread to the side, though. It wouldn't help him or Danny if he became overwhelmed, just as Drone and Black Thorn had become.)

It took an ungodly amount of time to finally crack Danny's puzzle. As it would turn out, there were no firewalls or codes to crack. Drone and Batman had both been within easy reach of whatever Danny had stored on the drive, but the little _bastard teen _had decided to set up his storage device in such a way that it looked like you had to go through literal hell to reach the information.

When Batman told Drone this, the masked teen snapped, "Phantom, you're such a dick," while Black Thorn, to the side of her friend, sighed in exasperation. The female mercenary didn't allow the two males to wallow, though. She leaned over Batman's shoulder, ignoring the way he tensed, and asked, "So, what's so important that our kind and considerate ally had to booby-trap the fancy doo-dad?"

Batman forced himself to ignore the uncomfortable distance between him and the female by his side, focusing on the text on the screen in front of him. His flashed over the words, their meaning falling into place rapidly.

As it would turn out, Danny had been gathering a great deal of information on a fight-ring that he had found on another deep-web server. From what Batman was reading, it wasn't just any other fight-ring, either; Danny had somehow gone and stumbled upon one of the most cruel ones that the Dark Knight had ever had the misfortune to find out about. It seemed the ring-leaders, of whom Danny had all the names, took a sick enjoyment in caging metas, ghosts, humans, and wild animals in their base in Wyoming, and pitting them against each other unfairly. There were plenty of videos saved to the drive proving this.

The Dark Knight relayed this information to Drone and Black Thorn and asked, "Do you have any ideas why Phantom decided to collect this information?"

Black Thorn hummed before replying, "Probably for blackmail reasons. Phantom likes to stake out people he deems as a rival, gaining as much info on them as he can. Then, when he's got enough evidence to lock them away for the majority of their lives, he makes deals. A 'I'll keep your secret if you'll give me favors' kind of thing."

"…I see." Batman said, grateful that his back was to the teens. He didn't need them seeing the way his lips twisted downwards.

(Not that it mattered. Drone and Black Thorn could pick up the disappointment in the depths of Batman's otherwise emotionless voice, and they'd be lying if they said that it didn't please them the slightest bit.)

The Dark Knight didn't linger on the unpleasant thoughts of what Danny did when he was alone. He simply moved past it- Danny was still missing, after all. Batman said to the two teens behind him, "With that information in mind, would anything on this drive have to do with Danny's disappearance at all? The date of his last log-in was just days ago. I doubt he had time to make enemies with these guys before he dropped even further off the radar."

"I wouldn't rule them out just yet." Drone answered. "Danny has a program that masks his presence when he hacks into another's mainframe."

_That explains so much, _Batman thought, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes.

"Unfortunately for Danny, though, it's really only good for short-term use. When he's in and out, the program hides him completely from all other computer users. The longer Danny stays within another's mainframe, though, the less the system successfully completes camouflaging his presence. Eventually, his entire false-front just crumbles." Drone continued.

Black Thorn added, "It's kind of like a footprint in a blizzard. The smaller the footprint, the easier it is to cover up. But the longer you stand there, the larger it becomes, making it harder to fill in and leave no trace of."

(Why couldn't Batman think of these things?)

"And if Phantom spent a lot of time gathering information on these guys, you can be sure he left a pretty big footprint." Drone finished off, leaving him and his friend standing there in silence with their arms crossed.

Batman turned around in his chair, his eyes briefly looking over the two mercenaries. He said, "That's enough to suggest that these guys have the brain- and man-power to successfully track and capture one of the most dangerous and infamous criminals this world has to offer. Phantom was gathering information on a _fight-ring,_ not another hacker. Why would they pick up on his footprint?"

"Look, Bats, we're not saying that these are the guys we're looking for, but they're worth checking out." Drone said. "If Phantom left a big enough footprint, it would only take a decent hacker to find him, and guys like these always have someone watching their incriminating evidence."

_"__Always."_ Black Thorn repeated.

Unlike the teens, the Dark Knight remained completely unconvinced. At this point, though, there was no reason not to do as Drone suggested and check the creeps out. Thus, with a sigh, Batman replied, "Let me make a call."

* * *

Her lips twisting into a grin, Black Thorn thought of all the ways she could mess with Drone as another light snore slipped out from behind his mask. Let's see; she could poke his ticklish side, or doodle some profane images on his arm. She could knock his propped arm out from under him, or stare at him until his brain woke up from the disturbance in his universe. None of them would take much effort. Drone had made sure of that when he had decided to sit next to his female friend and then pass out, despite knowing she was a sneaky, little bitch.

Yes, Drone should pay for his inconsideration, _but…_

Black Thorn watched Drone sleep for a little while longer before turning her head towards the front of the jet- the Javelin, Batman had called it. There was a faint _whirr_ing in the air, and Black Thorn focused on that instead of teasing her friend. As easy as it would be to tease him, God knew he needed his rest. The poor boy hadn't slept properly in days. They all had a certain natural disaster with black hair to thank for that.

At the thought of one of her missing best friend, Black Thorn sighed. She ran a hand through her messy hair, absently remembering that she had asked him to cut her black strands sometime soon the last time they had been together. He had grinned at her in reply and sarcastically quipped, "But I thought my dear Sammy-kins didn't trust me with sharp objects?" Convinced of his own hilariousness, Danny had laughed. Sam had then slapped him, starting a screaming match that lasted a good half hour, as usual.

All had been right in their world. It never lasted, though.

"Something troubling you?"

Black Thorn perked, her eyes finding the little points on the top of the Dark Knight's head. Batman was in the pilot's seat, all of his attention directed at the open air in front of him. He hadn't acknowledged the two teens in the seats behind him since they had taken off, and up until now, Black Thorn had been sure that the silent treatment would go on until they landed. The girl hadn't expected a question, and she certainly hadn't expected Batman to pay attention to either her or Drone.

"No." Black Thorn finally answered, her cheeks flushing under her mask.

Batman glanced back for the first time, his expression not amused. "You're a bad liar."

The teen girl rolled her eyes, huffing indignantly. Her fingers tapped the edges of her seat firmly as she retorted, "Yeah, and why would you care?"

"I don't, except that we're working a case together and I don't have time to pick up your slack." Batman answered, only worsening the blush on Black Thorn's face. The girl thanked God for her mask as the Dark Knight turned his back to her again. The man continued, "So if you're distracted by something, you need to sort it now and not when we're surrounded on all sides by the enemy."

_Well, there's no arguing with that logic_, Black Thorn thought irritably. She sunk into her seat in an attempt to squish herself into a tiny package. It wasn't very efficient, but at that moment, Black Thorn didn't really care.

"Now, I'll ask again; is there something troubling you?" Batman asked.

With a frown on her face, Black Thorn refused to answer the Dark Knight for some minutes. He allowed her to be silent for some time, but when the quiet grew to be longer than the average thoughtful silence, Batman looked back again, raising an eyebrow. The expression on the man's face said it all: 'I can beat it out of you, if you would like?'

Black Thorn huffed at the older man and stood up from her seat. She slipped into the narrow aisle between the seats, walking to the front of the Javelin. The girl fell into the seat beside the Dark Knight, kicking her feet up and onto the console in front of her. Batman stared at her questioningly. Black Thorn jerked her head to the back and said, "He hasn't slept well in days. I don't want him waking up."

Batman nodded once and then turned his gaze back to the windshield. His silence was Black Thorn's cue to begin speaking. The girl in question released a long breath and said, "I just can't help but worry about Phantom, is all."

"We'll find him," Batman replied. "and when we do, I'm sure you'll teach him a lesson in critical thinking that he'll never forget."

"It won't make any difference. He's the biggest dumbass this world has to offer." Black Thorn said, shaking her head. "I knew that when we met, and I still stayed with him. I guess that makes me a dumbass too."

The smile that twitched at the corners of the Dark Knight's lips might as well have been nonexistent. He asked, "What'd he do?"

"What didn't he do?" Black Thorn responded. The tone of her voice laid somewhere between exasperation and loving as she said, "Let me set the stage for his dumbass-ery, ok? De-age the Crime Trio you know and adore about eight years. The scene is that of a city street…"

* * *

_…__sunlight bathed Sam as she raced down the sidewalk, her sneakers slapping against the concrete. People yelped, startled and angry, as the girl roughly shoved them out of her way. They yelled for her to stop and made grabs at her arm, but Sam was too quick; she was yards away before anyone could yank her back._

_If she had been any normal preteen, Sam would've smiled at her slipperiness. However, since she wasn't normal in any sense of the word, she didn't worry about the people, didn't beam when she slipped away from every common man or woman who made to nab her arm or wrist. She had bigger problems than these average folks._

_Looking back over her shoulder, Sam cursed as she saw that her pursuers remained on her tail, their eyes locked on her form and expressions twisted into menace. Turning her attention back to the pathway in front of her, Sam slipped past another crowd of people and dove into an alleyway unexpectedly. Out of sight, Sam stripped herself of her hoodie, chucking it into a garbage can. She ripped her hair from its ponytail, allowing her black strands to flow free. She tucked in her black tank-top into her jean shorts and pulled one sleeve off her shoulder. All while this continued, Sam continued hurrying to the other side of the alley, where she quickly ducked into the crowd. She followed behind a crowd of teenagers older than she, slowing to match their pace and pretending to be a part of their group, despite the age gap._

_Sam hadn't even made it halfway down the block before the two men pursuing her burst from the alleyway, just as she had. The young girl watched them slyly from over her shoulder, witnessing as the two craned their necks in all directions, their eyes trying to catch the girl in the purple hoodie with her black hair pulled into a ponytail. Their gaze zoomed right past Sam, who quickly looked back in front of her when the bigger of the two began searching in her general direction._

_Heart hammering against her chest, Sam pressed closer to the crowd of teenagers. One of the older girls looked back at her with a sneer, but Sam just shot her a bratty smile in return. The blonde rolled her eyes and whispered something to the boy next to her. Sam ignored them as she looked back over her shoulder again. As soon as she saw the bigger of the two men charging in her direction, though, Sam whipped her head back in front of her and whined, "Are you going to include me in on the conversation or what?"_

_The girl from before started abruptly at the younger female's gripe, her neck twisting to gaze at Sam with a look of irritated shock on her face. _"NO._ I don't even know who you are!"_

_ "__Uh, I know you don't like me, but that's just rude, Jessica!" Sam replied with a scowl, flicking her raven hair over her shoulder indignantly. The girl said something in reply, but Sam paid it no mind. Her violet eyes locked onto her pursuer's form as he rushed past her and the other teens. He didn't even glance at Sam as he hurried by, her small frame going completely unnoticed._

_That didn't mean she was out of the woods yet, though, Sam knew. They would eventually search for her face, not the articles of clothes she wore or the way she styled her hair. Sam had to get out of the area– quickly._

_As soon as the brute chasing her was at the end of the block, Sam turned her gaze back to the ranting brunette, said, "Tootles, bitch," and then raced quickly back down the street, hoping to duck back into the alleyway from which she had just come. Unfortunately, Fate decided Sam was unworthy of having such luck._

WHA-BAM.

_"__OW!" Sam yelled as her butt met the ground. It was mirrored by another voice- a slightly more masculine one –but Sam was too focused on the sharp pain in her forehead to care. She rubbed furiously at the point of impact with her hand, hoping to dull the pain. It didn't work._

_With a growl, Sam turned on the person she had run into and yelled, "Watch we're you're going!" just as he did. The two preteens stared at each other for a moment in bewilderment at their sync-ness, but the two quickly shook themselves of their stupor._

_The boy- another preteen with hair as dark as Sam's and blue eyes –got up first. He made no effort to help Sam up, placing his fists firmly over his hips and saying, "Watch where _I'm_ going?! I would've been fine if you hadn't decided to turn around so fast!"_

_ "__Oh, like it's my fault!" Sam replied, also getting up from the ground and placing her hands on her hips. Her eyes narrowed into the deepest, darkest glare she could muster, but the boy didn't seem fazed. There was no backing down from this fight, though, so Sam went and made the situation worse by saying, "You were running too, and hurrying around people! That makes you just as guilty as I am!"_

_The boy suddenly smiled slyly at Sam, who looked at the boy suspiciously. He said, "Oh, so you _do_ take responsibility for crashing into me?"_

_Sam's expression twisted into one of irritation. "Did you miss the part where I said _you're_ guilty too?"_

_ "__What was that? I'm sorry; I'm just so pleased you accept responsibility for your actions like a good little girl should!" The boy retorted, his smile bright and gleaming._

SLAP!

_"__OW!" The boy yelled, reeling back as his hand flew to his stringing cheek. Sam glared at him remorselessly, feeling a guilty satisfaction at watching the ebony-haired boy's returning anger. He yelled, "What was that for?!"_

_ "__You were being a smartass." Sam replied in her snarky manner, despite her eyelids innocently batting eyelashes._

_ "__Newsflash, sweetheart: that's kind of my entire personality summed up in one word." The boy retorted, eyes flashing. The blue orbs darted about the two of them as the boy suddenly asked, "Shouldn't you be following your parents or something?"_

_Sam's response was as dry as the Sahara Desert. "Shouldn't you?"_

_"__Touché…"_

_The two preteens lapsed into silence, looking each other up and down critically. People moved about them, but the two's focus stayed enwrapped by their opposite. Most would have moved on by now, Sam knew, but instead, here she was._

_Finally, Sam asked curiously, "So, why were you running anyway?"_

_The boy shrugged and rocked back and forth mindlessly on his heels. "No reason in particular…"_

_Which was a lie, Sam could tell, but pressing this kid for answers would be like dressing her up in pink. It just didn't work._

_ "__Why were you?" The boy shot back, looking at her suspiciously._

_Sam opened her mouth to reply, but from behind her, someone let out a sudden yelp of surprised. Her head whipped around to see who had made the sound just as the boy perked out of curiosity. Sam blanched for a single moment when she saw the big man from earlier rushing back down the street, his dark eyes locked onto her violet ones. In her moment of shock, the boy next to her said, "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that's the answer to my question?"_

_ "__Yup. _Run."

_The boy didn't need to be told twice. The preteens bolted, their pursuer shouting swears at their backs._

_It took seconds for them to reach the entrance to the alley Sam had come from some minutes earlier, and the girl grabbed her new companion's wrist, pulling him into the alleyway after her and shouting, "This way!" The boy followed after without complaint, and the two's heartbeats pounded against their rib-cages as they sprinted, terrified to look behind them and see if the man was on their tail or not._

_Together, the preteens burst out onto the other street. The boy, his wrist still caught in Sam's hand, pulled her in the way he chose. Sam stumbled behind him for a moment before catching her footing, allowing her to keep pace with the other preteen._

_The duo weaved in and out of the crowd as they sprinted, oftentimes knocking into people in their rush. Curses and angry shouts followed the pair, but the two were more focused on getting away than they were with a few people's displeasure. The only time either preteen realized they probably were fucking up badly was when they ran into another boy, and instead of letting him get on his way, they dragged him behind them, telling him to, "Run, run, _RUN!"

_Eventually, the two preteens leading the charge ducked into a grocery store, a bell chiming overhead as they thrust the door open. Nobody paid the kids any mind as they rushed to the back of the store, where they collapsed in an abandoned aisle filled with an assortment of bread. They gasped and panted, their lungs heaving with the effort to draw oxygen into their chests._

_Sam wiped the sweat from her brow as she looked at the two boys she had unwittingly dragged into her problem. Through her gasps, she said, "I… Think… We lost em."_

_The ebony-haired boy the girl was familiar with merely gave her a thumbs-up in reply, looking pale and on the verge of fainting. The new, African-American kid she and the other boy had picked up didn't look much better as he replied, "Who… Were we... T_rying to lose?!"

_"__SHHHHHH!" Sam and the ebony-haired boy shushed. The dark-skinned preteen only gave his new companions incredulous looks and said, "First, you guys drag me around town for God-knows-why, and now you're shushing me?! What am I?! Your captive!?"_

_ "__Hell yes!" The first boy answered unexpectedly, pumping his fist into the air and throwing back his head._

_The other two preteens gave the ebony-haired boy blank stares. The boy didn't notice until he finally looked at them, but instead of feeling embarrassed or blanching, the boy laughed instead. Sam and the other boy just kept watching him silently, but they couldn't help the smiles beginning to twitch at the corners of their lips. Their smiles kept growing, the boys' laughter as infectious as the flu, until they, too, were giggling hysterically. The trio laughed and laughed and laughed, and continued to laugh until the store manager found them in the back and kicked them out._

* * *

Black Thorn smiled fondly at the memory, the sound of Danny's and Tucker's laughter ringing faintly in her ears. She said, "After the guy kicked us out, we all introduced each other. It quickly became apparent none of us had any home, so we decided to stick together. Phantom told us about how he was searching for someone who could teach him all about computers, Drone was just trying to get away from a bad home situation at the time, and I was working to get into the Panther Guild."

Though the girl didn't see it, Batman shot a sharp look at her from the corner of his eye. He repeated, "The _Panther Guild?"_

Humming pleasantly and smirking behind her mask, Black Thorn lulled her head in the Dark Knight's direction and replied, "_Yeah... _I guess you've heard of em?"

Uh, _hell yes_. _Of course_ Batman had heard of them. He made it a point to know when an underground organization helped unhappy kids (not necessarily mistreated kids, just unhappy ones) fake their own deaths, let the kids run around the country on their own until they proved themselves worthy (always with the worthy bit, these sorts of bands), and then taught them martial arts. Batman had a long list of 'dead' kids back at the Cave, all of whom were suspected to be with the guild. Which one was Black Thorn?

His jaw set, Batman answered, "I've heard of them, yes."

Her smirk still set firmly on her lips, Black Thorn waited for some sort of reproach. She didn't get one. Maybe the Dark Knight knew that he would just be wasting his breath if he tried to talk sense. Maybe he just didn't know how to respond. Either way, Black Thorn didn't egg the older man on and merely continued, "The three of us ended up finding the guild first. I convinced my superiors to allow the two boys to train with me, but they only stayed for a couple of months. Phantom eventually found someone that less-than-willingly agreed to teach him about hacking methods, and Drone decided to go with him.

"The three of us stayed, more-or-less, separated from each other for the next few years, but we always stayed in contact. Phantom was learning everything he knows now; Drone found out he liked building things and pursued his own form of education, and I stayed with the guild. Eventually, though, Phantom and Drone had learned everything they needed and had decided to start the whole Dark-Net thing. My training had finished, and though I had planned to stay with the guild and climb the ranks, the boys roped me into working with them." Black Thorn finished, her smirk melting into another fond smile. "And that's how the Crime Trio was born."

Batman _hmph_ed quietly. He wasn't thinking when he commented, "You make it sound like you three are inseparable, but if I remember correctly, it didn't take much to break you guys apart."

He couldn't see it, but the Dark Knight could feel the nasty, soul-piercing glare Black Thorn was giving him through her mask. She gripped the arms of her seat tightly enough to turn her knuckles white. In the darkest voice the Dark Knight had heard from her, Black Thorn hissed, "Oh, like you know _anything_ about what happened between us."

"I know enough." Batman snapped back.

"You don't know _a damn thing."_

"Then _enlighten me, _Cupcake."

Black Thorn suddenly shot to her feet, her form towering over the Dark Knight's. Had Batman been anyone else, he would've been intimidated by the female.

"You know what? You did fuck us up. You fucked us up beautifully. I'll give you that. You fucked up our lives. You fucked up our relationship. You fucked up Phantom's- _Danny's _–emotional stability, and you did so _splendidly_." Black Thorn hissed, her voice low but severe. Batman didn't react to her harsh tone, his eyes pointed forward, but that did not deter the girl. "But you weren't there when Drone and I realized that we'd all _fucked up_ too. You weren't there when we went to apologize, and instead had to drag Danny to the hospital because the boy hadn't eaten in two weeks, he was so distraught. You weren't there, trying to convince Danny that you weren't going to leave him again because you were still having a pity-party! Feeling enlightened yet, Bats?" Black Thorn snapped. She then stomped off, wandering back down the narrow aisle of seats and falling into the one beside Drone's. Batman listened as Drone stirred, mumbled a confused question, and then fell back asleep at Black Thorn's assuring answer.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence.

* * *

_"__SHIT!" _Danny screamed, diving to the side and somersaulting away. There was a magnificent _CRASH_ behind him in the exact spot the teen had been just a moment ago. Danny didn't look back as he pushed himself back to his feet, stumbling as he made to dash away. Salty sweat dripped in the teen's eyes, and though the contact stung, Danny kept his eyes wide open.

Behind him, there was a loud _"ROAR,"_ followed by the steady _tha-thump_ of heavy feet slamming into the ground. The footfalls were faster than Danny's; they were catching up with the teen faster than he could get away.

Clamping down the panic rising in his chest, Danny continued sprinting, even if it was no good. The footfalls were gaining on him fast; the heavy breathing of the other creature could be heard more and more clearly as it swiftly approached. Danny's shoulders bunched expectantly the closer his pursuer grew, and just as it seemed the presence behind him was going to nab him, Danny ducked unexpectedly to the side, practically throwing himself the other way and out of the creature's claws.

The teen expected to duck into another somersault, but he lost his form halfway into it. Danny sprawled into the dirt, his vision bursting into bright lights suddenly. The sparks melted into darkness, which engulfed his vision entirely. Fear clenching his heart in a vice, Danny squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, ignoring the head-rush that suddenly came over him. The teen opened his eyes again, the black retreating and taking the sudden confusion with it. Panting, Danny used his newfound sight to search out for his assailant.

_God,_ he was so not made for this. He was computer genius, for Pete's sake! He wasn't a hunter of beasts, his only weapons being his bare hands! That was more of Skulker's forte! Whose sick idea was it to put Danny and _a frikkin lion_ in the arena together?!

Speaking of the lion, Danny watched as it pushed itself back to its feet. The teen guessed it had stumbled and fell over when he had suddenly jumped out of its trajectory. The large beast, its eyes bloodshot and fur mangy and tattered, turned about, searching for its prey. It didn't take much searching to find Danny, sprawled across the ground and gasping for breath. The lion bared its teeth at the boy, a low growl rumbling deep in its throat.

So as not to startle the already provoked beast, Danny slowly pushed himself back off the ground. He drew his feet under him, falling into a low crouch that would allow him to suddenly run if he needed. The lion didn't seem to notice the teen's new position on the floor as it began to pad slowly closer to the teen.

Danny didn't move, even as he registered the lion's approach. His blue eyes darted around him. Not for the first time, he searched for a weapon with which he could defend himself. Just as he had the other times, Danny didn't find anything in the football stadium-sized arena.

_Damn it,_ how did the teen's captors expect him to kill this damned animal?! It's not like Danny could snap its neck or spine like he had done with the pack of jackals the crazies had sicced on him the last time he had been in the ring. This thing was just too big for that, and Danny was sure it would knock his head from his shoulders the minute the teen got in its immediate vicinity. The teen couldn't even use his ghost powers! The sick ringleaders had snapped a power-inhibitor bracelet on his rest the minute they found he had abilities.

(Not that Danny knew it, but the bracelet was his parents' design. The couple was completely unaware they sold their old junk to a bunch of crazy psychotics. Oh, what a small world it was, no?)

As the lion continued to strut forward, Danny wondered how the hell he was supposed to escape this fight. He'd already been going for who-knew-how-long-anymore, and the teen was working strictly off of dwindling adrenaline at this point. It was hard to tell how long it would keep him going before the boy collapsed.

The teen's bigger assailant crept forward still, growing close enough for Danny to listen to its rumbling growls. The lion's mad, bloodshot eyes bore into the boy's terrified blue ones. The beast's ears twitched in time with Danny's panting.

Not liking how close the lion was getting to him, Danny began creeping backwards, his movements slow and shaky, his eyes keeping contact with the lion's. The boy's sudden movement gave the large feline pause. Danny crept back a little further and then, too, paused, his legs shaking with the effort to keep him in a crouch. The two beings remained still, silent messages passing through their eyes.

The lion bowed its head and grumbled. It began to pace back and forth, confusion clouding its eyes. Danny breathed a little easier; not much, but just a little. He was still immensely terrified of the beast, but it seemed to be out-of-sorts for the moment. If the teen could figure out a way to use that to his advantage, he might just make it out of this alive. Ha-ha, it was turning out to be a good day after all!

The crowd spectating the event did not share Danny's internal enthusiasm. They booed and hissed at the two in the arena, shouting for the deadly game of cat-and-mouse to continue until one or the other finally outsmarted the other and brought them down. It was a dull roar, though, easily ignorable. Hell, the lion and Danny had been ignoring the crowd's cheering since the start of the match. The change of tone didn't distract either unwilling participant in the fight, and the crowd continued on with their furious and disappointed howls.

_POW!_

Danny gasped as the dirt exploded around the lion's back paws, spooking the large beast into charging forward, whatever tenuous bond the teen had created with it broken as quickly as the gunshot had been fired. The teen sprung to his feet, fleeing as the stronger and faster animal chased him down. Danny only made it some feet before his shaky legs gave out, sending him face-first into the dirt again. The teen attempted to scramble up, but his legs refused to work properly. All Danny could manage was to flip on his back, just in time to watch the lion lunge at him.

Danny's pupils constricted; his breath caught in his throat. The only thought on his mind was, _Well, this is gonna hurt._

_BAM!_

The lion tumbled to the side with a loud _YOWL_, Batman swinging down and landing down in front of the downed teen protectively. The Dark Knight didn't say anything to the teen, merely stood at his full height and branded a bat-a-rang in each hand. The lion regained its bearings after being smashed to the side, coming back to its feet and _GROWL_ing at Batman.

Danny jumped as another pair of boots landed beside him. His head whipped up as Black Thorn crouched down beside him, her mask seemingly smiling at him. The girl helped her friend to his knees quickly, allowing his sweaty, dirty frame to lean against hers. Pleasantly, Black Thorn said, "Damn boy, we leave you alone for a week, and you go and get kidnapped. Good job."

The blue-eyed teen rolled his eyes. In front of the two, Batman irritably said, "Get out of here!" and threw one of the bat-a-rangs at the approaching feline.

"Time to go." Black Thorn said, wrapping one arm around her male friend. Danny didn't need to be told to do likewise, and practically bear-hugged his friend, unsure of how she was going to get them up the too-high-to-climb arena walls but trusting his friend, all the same.

Black Thorn pointed a familiar tool- a grapple Batman liked to use –and pointed it at the rafters. She fired it off, and the hook shot into the air, coming to swing around one of the beams supporting the ceiling. Once the hook caught, Sam pressed the retract button, which pulled the two teens into the air. Danny gripped his friend's clothes tightly as the ground disappeared from under them, and he squeezed his blue eyes shut.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before the two teens were dangling next to the walkway on the lowest level of the building. Drone waited for the two there, and he helped swing Danny over the railing. The teen boy collapsed as soon as his feet met the ground, and a moment later, Black Thorn landed gracefully next to him, and together, she and Drone helped Danny up from the floor. The ebony-haired boy mumbled, "It took you guys long enough to show up," as they quickly began fleeing down the nearest hallway.

"Oh, shut up. We didn't even know you were gone to begin with." Drone snapped back, though his voice was playful. Danny only chuckled at him and stumbled over his feet again.

The Crime Trio made their escape in record-breaking time. They, fortunately, came across very few guards, all of whom were taken out quickly by Black Thorn.

It was only when the three were finally exiting the large complex and fleeing towards the forest when Danny asked, "We going back for Bats?"

"You're not going anywhere!" Drone replied indignantly. If it weren't for the fact that his friend needed his constant support, Drone would've smacked the other boy.

Danny opened his mouth to give the dark-skinned boy a snarky reply, but Black Thorn interjected, "Bats is a big boy, Danny. He said he would meet us back at the Javelin as soon as he could."

"Are you sure? 'Cause the guy just saved my face from being mauled by a lion. The least we could do for him is let him live."

"We're sure, Danny. _We're sure."_

The Crime Trio finished their journey across the parking lot, ducking into the tree-line just as people began flooding from the arena. The three teens didn't look back as Drone took the lead, barreling through the brush and leading Black Thorn and Danny through easier pathways. The ebony-haired boy tripped a few times, but Black Thorn patiently picked him back up every time he met the ground. Though it felt like an eternity, the group could see the Javelin in a few minutes of hiking, and within a few more, Danny was allowed to collapse beside the ramp leading into the large jet. Black Thorn stood behind him and allowed the boy to lean against her for rest, an amused expression on her face as Drone ducked into the Javelin and began prepping for takeoff.

Danny drifted in and out of consciousness over the course of the next few minutes, the adrenaline flooding from his veins in a hurry. Despite his exhaustion, though, sleep couldn't find his troubled mind. Even when he was tangled in a state of limbo, Danny remained aware of the fact that there was someone else that was supposed to be with him and his friends.

As her friend drifted in and out, Black Thorn stood guard, watching the dark forest around them with keen eyes. She perked when the brush rustled from the direction they had come, but when Batman emerged- worse for wear than before, but overall, fine -the mercenary relaxed. At the same time, Danny opened one dreary eye, saw the Dark Knight, grinned a little, and fell back asleep.

"It took you long enough." Black Thorn commented, reaching down to tug gently at the tips of Danny's grimy hair.

Batman glanced at the girl's action, noticing that she herself did not seem aware of her actions. He guessed that it was a comfort for her, a reassurance that her dear friend was alive and safe with her. He didn't mention his findings and didn't reply to the girl's quip, merely responding, "The Justice League is on its way to take care of the ring and its ringleaders. Until then, though, is Danny alright?"

Black Thorn didn't answer immediately. She waited a moment, her fingers working around Danny's black strands. She tugged and pulled, and Batman waited all the while for her response.

Finally, she replied, "Once he's gotten a good night's sleep and some food, I'm sure Danny will be back to his spunky self in no time. Maybe even better."

In his dreams, Danny walked down a busy street with an orange-haired woman he had only seen in pictures. The woman smiled down at the boy and asked, "Who is that waiting for you, Danny?"

There were a dozen people on the street- some people were recognizable, some weren't -but Danny knew the person she was speaking of immediately. He looked down the street, glanced at the darkly-clad man just standing on the street corner, and then turned back to the older woman at his side. He grinned back and said, "Oh, that's just Batman. He's been helping me out a lot lately, and now he's waiting for me to give something back."

(Later, when Danny would awake in his apartment, he'd shout to the rooftops, "Why the Dark Knight? Why the fucking Dark Knight?")


	16. Just For Old Times

Listen to _The Gilded Hand _by Radical Face. It brings an overall sense of tiredness to the chapter.

* * *

Ch.16: Just For Old Times

He couldn't believe it. But at the same time… Yes he could. Danny was an unpredictable little demon like that.

The midnight-haired teen sat on the edge of the building, looking into the distance at Arkham Asylum. His blues were locked onto the large structure, looking like a gothic castle sitting atop a deserted island. He was dressed for a job even though he didn't seem to be on one and lacked his mask.

The asylum looked like something straight from a horror book. The structure had huge towers, bars across all the windows, and was shrouded in darkness with no exterior lighting. All lights were inside and shined outward, like witches in their huts while they made glowing potions. The landscape around Arkham had a thin line of trees, trying to look pleasant but almost seeming frail in front of the massive building. A fence ran around the perimeter with a huge gate to keep the inmates in and everyone else out.

Batman briefly looked up when lightning cracked across the clouds, thunder rumbling in protest to the light. A harsh torrent of rain fell from the sky, beating everything it landed upon. A loud _sh-h-h-h _whispered from the beating of the rain, as if telling everything and everyone to fall asleep, to escape the pounding of the storm raging across the city.

Danny, drenched to the bone, continued to stare at the gothic building with little interest even though it was the center of his attention. He didn't even seemed to be mildly interested in the building itself but something that lay in its walls or maybe something beyond it that the Dark Knight couldn't see for himself.

Batman walked up beside the teen and stood behind him. Danny's eyes flickered up his body before falling back to Arkham. He remained slumped forward with his head resting on his fists.

Over the screaming _sh-h-h-h _of the rain, Batman asked "You thinking about checking yourself in?"

Danny barked a small laugh and his amused eyes journeyed up the Dark Knight's figure to land on his face, looking into his eyes. "I'm not insane. Just messed up."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"I'm a different kind of messed up. They're psychos. I'm just… Violent."

"They're violent." Batman commented, pointing to the structure.

Danny rolled his eyes. "They're, clinically speaking, '_special'_."

"I'm honestly not seeing the differences between you and them."

The teen rolled his eyes with a grin and punched Batman's leg lightly. "Ah, _shut up_. It makes sense to me."

Batman cracked the smallest of grins and began looking at the towering building in the distance with Danny. The two were silent, listening to the rushing sound of the rain as it fell to the earth. As they stared at the castle for the insane, the Dark Knight commented "I should be taking you to Blackgate right now."

Danny shrugged. "I should be trying to stab you right now but I'm not. Can we call a temporary truce? Just for old times?"

Batman looked down at the teen before nodding even while knowing the teen wasn't watching for his reaction, he was listening. He whispered "Just for old times."

A small genuine smile graced Danny's face as he turned his head up to stare at Batman again. The Dark Knight sat down beside the teen and crossed his legs into a lotus position, putting his hands on his knees. The teen took a deep breath before leaning towards Batman and resting his head on the Dark Knight's arm. Batman looked at the teen, a little surprised he was taking a simple truce so seriously but not saying a word about it.

"How often do you come to Gotham?" Batman asked.

Danny shrugged, looking out across the land again to study Arkham Asylum again. "Eh. Depends on the job count. But I always come at least once a month."

"How many jobs do you take?" Batman asked, exaggerated.

Danny cracked another amused grin and said "About three or four every month." The teen looked up at his temporary ally-of-sorts. "But I come to Gotham out of free will. I don't have as many jobs here as you think I do."

"How come I never notice you?" Batman questioned.

"Cause I'm out and about during the day and I spray-paint my hair." Danny answered, his grin widening.

Batman looked down at the teen dryly and said "You _spray-paint_ your hair?"

Danny, biting his lip while he grinned, nodded. "Yeah! It's hilarious. I always do this bright, neon red that looks so un-frikkin-natural. And then I wear a lot of white and blue so it looks like Uncle Sam vomited on me." Danny laughed, looking across the dark lands again. "It's hilarious."

Batman shook his head and rolled his eyes. He let out a long sigh while Danny cackled beside him.

The Dark Knight noted that truces made Danny very trusting and open, against the teen's better judgment. Batman also noticed he himself was very willing to let his guard down around Danny, whom had tried to kill him on numerous occasions but had yet to cast the fatal blow.

He surmised they were both idiots when it came to trusting the other. And, oddly, he was ok with that.

"How often do you travel?" Batman asked.

Danny shrugged. "I'm gone from home most of the time. I ride everywhere on my bike. I could fly everywhere if I wanted to, it'd probably be shorter that way, but I'd probably either crash out of exhaustion or get lost and end up in Mexico or something."

Batman snorted. "No one fails that bad."

"Oh, you'd be surprised." Danny stated, eyes glinting in amusement even though little light was cast through the mostly-gothic city. Batman hummed to make sure the teen knew he heard him before he asked "How do you keep the Dark-Net going if you're always on travel?"

"I take one lap-top with me if I plan on staying in the town for a day or two. Most of the time I just ride over, do the job, and get back within a couple of days. But some days it's just nice to rest and kick up your feet though, you know?" Danny asked.

Batman nodded in agreement before saying "yes" in agreement because he knew the teen wasn't looking up at him and was still listening for vocal answers and not looking for gestures.

"Any reason you're staring at Arkham?"

"You know, you ask _a lot_ of questions." Danny stated.

"You know, you _answer_ a lot of questions." Batman responded dryly, bumping the teen gently with the arm he was resting on. Danny was not deterred though and slowly fell back onto the Kevlar-covered arm, seemingly taking comfort from the massive figure beside him. Silently, the two watched the silhouette of the asylum again, listening to the rain shush the world while thunder rumbled above them. Lightning spider-webbed across the sky for a split second before fading quickly. The absence of the bright light made the world dark again.

"Did you know she worked there?" Danny asked, eyes locked on Arkham still.

"Who works at Arkham?" Batman responded, glancing between the asylum and the curious teen.

"My sister." Danny responded, blue eyes shining curiously. He looked from the building and up to the Dark Knight.

Batman looked at the building surprised before his gaze fell back to the teen's face and blue stare. He shook his head and said "No. I didn't."

Danny looked back to the building and with a small, gentle smile he said "I didn't think you would. I've heard your visits are usually brief and you talk to very few people. She's new there, just transferred from out of state with her family nine months ago. They live in a safer part of the city. She's working the nightshift right now. She's somewhere inside the building, working to make insane people sane again. If they were ever sane at all, that is."

Batman vaguely remembered something he had heard a long while back about a new doctor at Arkham. The new doctor apparently had a wonderful name for themselves and was very spunky and outgoing, smart and witty. But he didn't remember ever meeting the new doctor or hearing anything about them after that.

"I've heard she's very good at her job, you know. She managed to rehabilitate Ventriloquist for the, what? Fifth time, it seems? He's stayed clean for his longest running streak yet. He's been out five months, I think, and he's very happy with his new life." Danny stated, his gentle smile still gracing his face.

Batman stayed quiet for a bit, pondering all this new information. "How do you know all this?"

"A couple months after the 'Amity Park Incident', I hacked into my orphanage files and read through it. I did some extensive research on my sister and continually keep tabs." Danny explained. "She's the only reason I keep coming to Gotham every month."

"…have you met her..?" Batman asked.

Danny shook his head and replied "No. I haven't."

"So… Right now… You're just a stalker?"

"Pretty much. Yeah."

Batman rolled his eyes. Classic Danny to watch someone for nine months but not do anything else unless he was getting paid to do it…

"Did you ever see your parents again?" Batman asked, wondering what the teen would've done with the knowledge that hid parents were financially incapable of taking care of him. He never found out what happened that night but he didn't feel right trying to find out. So he would remain oblivious with no desire to search for answers.

Danny shook his head. "No."

And Batman left it at that. He didn't push any further, lest the teen decide the temporary truce should end and take off, hiding from the Dark Knight again. In the pounding rain and pitch black of night, he'd have more shadows to hide in and the Dark Knight had no doubt the teen could play with his vision again and make him see something other than Danny. Probably a superb version of one of his villains maybe?

The two temporary companions stared off into the distance of the gothic castle again. If you squinted, you occasionally could see the silhouette of a guard or doctor walk by the barred windows. They were more like specks in the dreary night as they flashed across the windows.

Batman slid his hand up and grabbed Danny's wrist. He quickly got off the ground, tugging the teen up with him. Danny released a startled yelp as he pulled to his feet abruptly and flashed an annoyed look at the adult in front of him. "What the heck?!"

The Dark Knight gestured to Arkham. Might as well _try_ to get Danny to like one of his immediate family members. "Come on. Let's go meet your sister."

"Are you nuts?!" Danny asked wildly before gaining a deadpanned expression and looking the Dark Knight up and down, checking out his 'work attire'. "Never mind. Don't answer that… Just… Don't answer that for me…"

Batman rolled his eyes behind his mask. "I'm serious. I want you to meet your sister."

"I bet she's going to _love_~ me." Danny stated sarcastically, gesturing to his own work attire.

"You'll probably end up with a towel around you the entire time." Batman stated, pointing at the rain falling around them.

"Is there a store you can apparently buy steel-toed boots? Cause I don't know of any. And I'm not talking bout the crappy kind you can buy from Kroger. I'm talking about legit steel-toed boots." Danny said, gesturing to his boot-clad feet. "I had to _steal_ these."

Batman sighed in annoyance. "Why is she going to be looking at your feet?"

"Cause she's a shrink! Shouldn't she, like, look a person up and down and study their body language upon meeting someone or something?"

"…you're thinking way too deeply into this…"

"Says World's Greatest Detective."

"Just meet your sister!" Batman complained over the loud rush of water from the sky.

Danny whined and groaned a long "_Fine_~."

Batman nodded in satisfaction before he and the teen walked to the edge of the building. The Dark Knight stopped before he leaped off and Danny glanced at him curiously. He asked "What?"

"I want to ask one more question before we head over." Batman stated.

Danny groaned loudly again and yelled a low "What _now, _you mother hen? You've asked, like, fifty questions in fifteen minutes!"

_SMACK!_

"Ow!"

"Stop exaggerating." Batman said while Danny rubbed his head indignantly. "I want to know how you can conjure up illusions."

Danny looked mildly surprised at the question before he shook it off. "I don't create illusions. I create nightmares. Every ghost, and half-ghost, has a specific core based on an element. When asked, most people would say there are only four elements. In actuality, there are six: water, fire, air, earth, light, and darkness. All are _easily_ gained but the last two aren't as widely received. I unlocked a dark core but, more specifically, a nightmare core. With it, I can create horrifying illusions and alter memories."

"So… Do your powers have limits?" Batman asked cautiously.

Danny nodded. "Yes. Black Vision, the power's specific name, has limits. I can only create nightmare-ish things and I can only alter memory's going a few minutes back. I also can't do too many people at a time, since Black Vision does occur on a mental level, not physical."

"Glad to hear they have limits." Batman commented.

Danny just grinned and shrugged. "I knew you would."

The Dark Knight rolled his eyes before grabbing his grapple and shooting it. He said "Keep up." before flying from the building and off into the streets.

Danny mumbled "Jerk…" before allowing himself to transform into his ghost-half for the first time in months before he glided after the black-clad adult.

* * *

Danny grunted, in human-form again, as he fell onto the floor. He shot a dirty look over his shoulder at the Dark Knight, who was crouched in the window.

"I can't _believe_ you just kicked me through a window." Danny hissed quietly. "You and your stupid windows…"

Batman stepped inside and closed the window behind him quietly and lowly said "I can't believe I _had_ to kick you through a window."

"I wanted to waltz through the entrance!" The teen whisper-yelled.

Batman shook his head and mouthed 'no'. Danny made a face at the hero before hopping up and standing by his side. "You know, the door would've been easier. We could've even asked someone where the heck she was! But _no_~! That's too easy."

Batman rolled his eyes and whispered "You know they call me Stealth, right?"

"No, they call you Betty!"

The Dark Knight smacked the teen upside the head and whisper-yelled "That doesn't even _make sense_!"

"Shut up." Danny hissed at him, rubbing his head yet again.

The two began bickering quietly and didn't notice the door open quietly as a woman with long, orange hair enter. Her teal eyes, hidden behind square glasses, were looking over a clipboard full of notes and files. As she entered, she looked up and her eyes widened at the sight of the two figures fighting.

"What the-!?" She mumbled, looking between the resident hero and the young, black-clad teen. The two turned to her, startled. Danny, after a moment of silence, slapped Batman's arm and yelled "Look what you did!"

"She was going to show up anyways! This is _her_ office!" Batman stated back and smacked the teen upside the head again.

Danny yelped and hissed "Would you stop _doing that_?!"

"Start acting like your age and _we'll see_."

"You're so impossible~!"

"Has your head been on your shoulders at all times because I think you've missed a few essential memories where you were being 'impossible'?"

"Would you idiots shut up and tell me why the heck you're here?" Jazz yelled at them, eye twitching. She slammed the door behind her and crossed her arms.

Batman shoved Danny forward and said "Great first impression, you little idiot."

"You did not help the situation _at all_, Batsy." Danny snapped back.

Jazz rolled her eyes before saying "Batman, glad to meet you and all, but if you're trying to get this kid anger management-"

"_WHAT?!_ Excuse me?!"

"-you should've walked through the front door." Jazz finished, rubbing her head where a migraine was starting to appear.

Danny clapped and spun around, pointing at the Dark Knight. "HA! Front door!"

Batman stared at the teen, irritated, and commented "She's definitely your sister."

Danny blanched while Jazz straightened, eyes widening slightly at the hero. The ebony-haired teen stayed frozen in his spot while Jazz mumbled "sister?" and began to closely inspect the frozen eighteen-year-old. Her eyes widened a little at the boy and she dropped her clipboard. "Oh my gosh… _Danny_…"

The teen in question slowly turned to face his sister and cracked a nervous grin. "Hi Jazz…"

The woman took a hesitant step before lunging forward and enveloping the teen in a hug. Danny yelped and tried to jump back but Jazz was a lot stronger than she let on. The teen laughed nervously while Jazz held Danny at arm's length, looking him over again. "Look at you! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's you! Your hair is longer now and you're so big!"

"I wonder why?"

"And you're so much _older_ now and why _the heck_ are you Goth?"

"He doesn't always look like that. Sometimes it looks like Uncle Sam puked on him." Batman commented, grinning darkly.

Danny pointed at him and yelled "_Shut up_, you oversized winged-rat!"

Batman's dark grin widened.

"Where have you _been_?" Jazz asked, completely ignoring the almost casual argument the two were having. "I finally got my first job and was all ready to adopt you when- BAM! –you're gone! Where'd you go?"

"Places." Danny answered with a cheeky smile.

"You were ten years old!" Jazz yelled at him.

Danny shrugged. "So? I started my career young."

"What career now?"

"Nothing~."

"_Danny_."

"Jazz~."

The woman mumbled some curses before turning to the Dark Knight. "Is he always this impossible?"

Batman simply stated "Yes."

"Wait a minute, how do you even know Danny?"

"Long story." Batman replied, a certain hint to his voice that said 'just drop it'.

Jazz scowled and rolled her eyes. She looked at her younger brother and shook her head. "I always knew you would be annoying…"

Danny smiled cheekily while Batman just shook his head and mumbled "You don't know the half of it…"

Jazz laughed while Danny shot the Dark Knight another dirty look. After, the two siblings easily began chatting like they had known each other their entire lives. Batman stood off to the side and watched, satisfied with the reunion as Danny had never smiled so genuinely so long in the time Batman had known him.

After a long discussion that lasted a little over an hour, Danny promised his sister he'd come back soon and visit. The teen tried to retreat through the door but Batman nabbed him and dragged him through the window. Long shouts were made by Danny but Batman put up with it while Jazz laughed behind them.

The two journeyed back to the rest of Gotham and stood on the rooftop they had been on previously, noticing that the rain had since faded and left the night a little humid. Danny smiled at the dark castle of the insane while Batman looked down at the teen, hiding his own smile that threatened to overtake his face. Danny shrugged up at the Dark Knight and said "Well… Thanks for that… If you don't mind though, I wanna go back to my apartment now."

"Does that mean our truce ends now?"

"Yes but…" Danny trailed as he turned and made his way towards the edge of the roof. "I'm willing to renew it sometime soon if you're up to it."

Batman nodded in acceptance while Danny saluted and hopped off the rooftop, leaving the Dark Knight standing alone on the rooftop. As he was enveloped in silence, he noticed how much he missed the 'old times' between him and the teen.

* * *

**...So, I'm stupid for posting this when I don't have ch.18 done and I'm angry at myself but I'm posting this anyways and I'm stupid...**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: _RobinRocks11, Kurasabe, McGwee, Moonsong17, Elinasti0, Poison59, Catie. Rasmussen, Megan p123, Stupification, HermioneX._**

**Reviews:**

**HappyBear135: Oh, it's nothing of concern. Your review made me smile though. :)**

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: Of course he's not heartless! Just stoic! XD**

**Chicaalterego: :) I didn't have to do anything because your review made me smile. Thanks for still being here!**

**Bibbledoo: Aw, thanks! I was hoping you'd guys enjoy the continuity! :D**

**KuriMaster13: Yep! It's not totally decayed! Very close to being there but not quite yet! XD**

**YumiStar: Glad to hear. :) I know right? It's so fun to say!**

**Guest of Honor: Keep asking cause I don't know either. So the lion was cute? Nice.**

**Expergimiscimini: I thought you're boyfriend was creepy..?**

**Poohbearmorris: :) I'm so happy you think this is original! I was hoping to aim for that!**

**Roselin: Mm-hmm~! And don't worry! It's all better now cause I've got one frikkin loyal fan-base that I adore. :)**

**IWasNeverReal: Yep! Gotta love the childhood! :D I'm so happy you appreciate the windshield smashing.**

**Ninuhuju: I love irony~!**

**SweetyKinz: Ok, the chapter you just wrote was longer than the last chapter. HOW? I DON'T UNDERSTAND. XD *laughs hysterically***

**KainVixenheim: I'm getting to a point where I need to come up with some new situations and complications. :)**

**H. H. Xia: Yeah~! It is sweet, ain't it?**

**The Keeper of Worlds: I prefer them too. But if wolves or foxes attacked, Danny would be dead. XD I love the weird partnership!**

**Reviewer47: Danke!**

**Allietheepic7: I wish a lot of things too. ...hilarious you mentioned Jazz _right_ before she showed up... XD**

**Sarra Torrens: :D Aw, thanks a ton~!**

**16ckelman: A little but, you know, he's Danny... The unpredictable little rat... XD**

**HermioneX: Tis updated! :D**


	17. Mazes-Mazes, Puzzles-Puzzles

Ch.17: Mazes-Mazes, Puzzles-Puzzles

Batman pushed himself up with a groan. He looked around the room he had been put in with caution. All he saw was a bunch of grey, rock walls. There was the occasional split down the middle for each slab but there was no way out of the room, except for the large opening with a large arch near the top. Above, the ceiling was also made of rock.

He felt for his belt and let some relief creep in when he noticed he had it.

The Dark Knight, not seeing much of a choice in the matter, cautiously walked towards the arched exit. He kept his eyes sharp for a trap, a loose plate on the ground that was made to sink or a trip-wire that would release a dozen weapons to pierce him.

Batman found no tricks in the small hall and stopped just inside the next frame. He looked out into the hall in front of him and gazed left and right. Two halls went by his chamber and continued on for a long way. More halls split off on either side of the hall and continued on beyond with more and more long stretches, into various other chambers, probably.

Gotham's Guardian mulled over what he should do before he carefully stepped out into the hall. He tried to figure out if either way would lead him towards the exit. But there wasn't much to go by. Everything was grey stone and no details had been added to indicate anything, no hints or clues.

Batman mulled the answer before walking to the left. He continued to choose different hallways, not really sure what he was doing. The Caped Crusader just knew he was in a maze and had to get out of it. How he was supposed to do that though, he wasn't quite sure. He even found himself at his starting point once and felt the first tendrils of frustration creep up.

How was he supposed to get out of this maze? There hadn't even been a voice to alert him of some evil plan!

The Dark Knight continued to weave in and out of the many halls. He tried calling for help at one point but found a distant voice, an ancient voice, singing in the com. It was some foreign language he couldn't decipher, which was odd with the amount of languages he knew.

Batman, with a feeling of dread, tried to open the pockets in his belt. They refused to snap open though. He tried snatching the tools not contained within the pouches and found they wouldn't budge from their spots either. Then he, plain and simply, tried to take the entire thing off but the clip stayed shut still.

He growled in dissatisfaction.

So his belt was dead-weight. He had it but could access nothing. That was just fan-frikkin-tastic.

Batman continued to maneuver through the winding hallways. He wanted to hit something to release his frustration upon. The Dark Knight would destroy the wall but it was stone. He didn't want to injure himself.

Yet. He was tempted to though.

Batman, still surging with annoyance, wavered in his step when he saw something in his peripheral vision. He turned his head and saw a lit up chamber, different from the one he woke up in, down another long strip of hall. He could vaguely see some drawings on the wall.

A possible clue?

Interested, Batman carefully walked down the hall. He stopped just inside the entryway and carefully looked about the room. He searched for any tricks or traps but, as far as he knew, he found none.

Hesitantly, he took a step forward and waited.

...

Nothing happened. He stepped fully inside the circular chamber and looked around the room. He noticed the stone was not grey, for once, but a sandy color. The rocks were rough and jagged, looking old and ridden. Across the walls, black jackals ran across the room, heading towards the opposite wall Batman was near. Behind the hoard humanoid figures with wispy tails followed behind them. On the ceiling above was a crud picture of the sun.

Batman narrowed his eyes at the drawings. They were obviously done recently, if the brightness of the paint was anything to go by. But why have jackals running towards a blank wall?

He pondered the question as he drew closer to one of the walls and studied the paintings closer. Maybe there was something within the paint?

The Dark Knight was so busy studying the depiction he didn't notice the figure walking in through another archway, stretching out their sore muscles.

Danny raised an eyebrow at the scene in front of him. "Is there a reason you're staring at the wall intently?"

Batman looked over his shoulder as he straightened. Once he saw Danny's confused face, he went back to studying the picture. "I'm seeing if there is any clues in the paint. It was done recently." He said before he asked "Should I worry about you shooting me?"

Danny shrugged. "Eh. We're both trapped in a huge maze and your smarts would be much appreciated so no."

"So our truce has been renewed until we get out of here?"

"Pretty much. And to think, it's only been two weeks!" Danny stated sarcastically. He smiled before moving closer to one of the other pictures of the running jackals. He traced the image with his finger before he frowned. "I hate jackals."

Batman rolled his eyes at that. That boy...

"I wonder where they're running too... And why they're following." Danny mused as he took a step back to admire the image as a whole. He turned in a circle to see the other parts as well.

"Danny?" A feminine voice called out and the two males turned to the archway beside Batman. A girl with ebony hair and violet eyes stepped out and looked around. She turned her heard when she caught sight of Bats and cursed loudly. "Great! You're here and I have no mask on me!"

Danny smiled at his friend, whom Batman recognized as Black Thorn, and said "Sorry Sam."

Black Thorn- or Sam -glared at her friend. "What the heck? Telling him my name is so wrong!"

"He was going to track you done anyways!"

"That is not- ... Ok, that is true." Sam said, rubbing her jawline with a scowl. Batman just smirked at her while the girl gave him a deadpanned expression. Sam looked around the room and checked out all the pictures. "What's up with the jackals?"

"Not sure." Batman answered, giving up looking closely at the paint and taking a step back. He looked at the other two with a serious expression.

Danny just shrugged at him. "If this room is useless, why are we still standing here? Shouldn't we move along?"

"If it was useless, it wouldn't be here." Batman stated.

"It could be here to throw us off from the real route." Sam suggested.

"The chamber itself could have been made to throw us off. It's the only one we've all come across, correct?" Batman asked the two teens, who nodded at him. "If it's the only chamber we've seen, why go to the trouble to paint a picture?"

Danny shrugged while Sam thought it over. No one supplied an answer though.

"Mind if I join the party?" A cocoa-skinned boy asked as he entered the chamber through another archway. He caught sight of the Dark Knight and yelled "Oh crap, _he's_ here! Dang it!"

"Ha! That's what Sam said!" Danny said humorously before all the archways closed off, trapping the four figures in the chamber. Danny looked around before saying "Good job, Tuck. Look what you did."

Batman watched as Drone- or Tucker –gave his friend a bewildered look before shaking his head in annoyance.

Smaller shafts near the floor opened up in the walls and growls met the group's ears.

"Oh crap…" Sam muttered as the four backed into the center, away from the walls as sleek, black figures exited the shafts and began circling the group. They were small creatures with red eyes and jagged teeth. They had canine-liked bodies and were shrouded in mist.

"Oh crap is right…" Danny muttered. "We're surrounded by a bunch of jackals. Even better, they're shades! Awesome!"

"Shades?" Batman asked.

"Beings from the Shadow Domain. They come and go as they please but hardly ever do harm in the Human Realm." Danny answered.

Tucker chuckled nervously and said "Danny… Time to go ghost, please."

"Can't."

"Why not?"

Danny moved his sleeve from his wrist and showed it to Tucker. The bracelet that had been on Danny's arm when they rescued him from the fight ring was snapped around his wrists again.

Tuck let out an exaggerated groan.

"Batsy, got something that can help us on you?" Sam asked, watching each jackal that walked by her carefully.

"Yes but I can't get it." Batman answered.

"…what's wrong with your belt..?" Sam asked slowly, exaggeration showing on her face.

Batman shrugged, watching the sleek figures walk by while they growled. "It just won't open."

"Magic." Danny supplied, glaring at the small but vicious figures. "We're dealing with a magician who has a bunch of shades as pets."

"Awesome." Tucker said sarcastically.

Sam shook her head. "But shades can come and go as they please if there are shadows around and there are shadows _everywhere_. Why stay here?"

One of the jackals stopped in front of the much taller Batman and growled. The other jackals stopped and began growling at the group. Tails swishing ominously, they tensed their bodies, glaring with red, beady eyes at the group.

"We're going to have to wait for that answer…" Danny mumbled.

The shade that had started the entire thing lunged at the Dark Knight. Batman caught its shoulders and threw it over his shoulder. The jackal hit the wall, fell to the ground, and got back up, easily shaking off the attack.

The first one seemed to signal all the others to attack as well.

The group tried to cover each other as best as they could but all were too wrapped up with the five or six different jackals that were attacking them. They could throw one off to the side but another one was jumping for their necks while they did so. Moving around was key to keeping them off but there wasn't any place to run to.

Sam was finally able to snap one of the jackal's spine in two. She dropped it to the ground, the body limp and lifeless. The mist around the being dissipated and the body melted into dirt and ash.

The rest of the pack wearied at the sight of one of them fall but they continued to attack. But as the group continued fighting them off and, occasionally killing them, they began retreating back into their shafts one by one. Soon, they were all inside and the shafts shut again, keeping the jackals inside.

"Then you all wonder why I hate jackals." Danny said as he panted. The other two teens rolled their eyes while Batman sarcastically patted the teen's back. The Dark Knight looked around the enclosed room, searching for an exit way.

An archway revealed itself off to the side. It was the only exit in the room.

Tucker glared at it. "That's sick."

The three teens took a step forward before Batman told them to stop. They looked at him confused and Sam asked "Something wrong?"

Batman pointed to the pictures on the walls. All the black jackals were running towards the opening, leading the humanoid figures towards the opening in the wall.

"Yeah, they're pictures. We get that." Danny said, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Exaggerated, Batman asked "Do you know anything about Egyptian mythology?"

"We know a little but not much. Why?" Sam replied.

"The god Anubis, like Danny uses, is a god of the dead. He was said to lead spirits to the underworld. He had the head of the jackal." Batman informed. Danny made a 'go-on' gesture, signaling they already knew all that. "But Egyptians also viewed jackals as spirit animals that led them as well."

"Still not seeing the point." Tucker said, confused.

Batman pointed to the figures on the wall. "The jackals are leading the spirits to the underworld in this picture. If we go through that doorway, we're dead."

"…but if that's a false front, where's the real door?" Sam asked.

Danny looked at the jackals and commented "They're sort-of pointed downwards. Like going down a hill or something."

"If they're going down…" Batman trailed.

"We've got to go up." Tucker finished.

Sam looked to the ceiling, where the sun was 'shining' down on them, and said "Towards life."

"Yeah puzzles…" Danny cheered sarcastically as they all looked up towards the rock ceiling before looking back at each other. Then, in sync, they turned to the opening in the wall. In front of the opening was one of the black jackals. It was sitting calmly, looking at the group with little interest in its red eyes.

"Hi..?" Tucker mumbled, waving at the shade.

The jackal stood, everyone tensing as it did. The canine slipped into its shadow form and they watched as it journeyed up to the ceiling where the sun was. The shadow figure journeyed around the sun, twisting the drawing around and revealing that it wasn't a drawing at all. The rock ceiling began to retreat as the sun split into different sections and retreated also, leaving a gaping hole above the group. Before anyone could ask how they were supposed to get out, stairs popped out of the walls and circled the room towards the opening in the ceiling.

Under the staircase, red eyes watched the group with interest in the shadows. The calm jackal trotted down the stairs, nodded to them, and disappeared.

…

"What just happened?" Tucker asked the others. They shrugged before Batman led them up the stairs. Once each figure was at the top and off the staircase, the steps disappeared back into the wall and the sun twisted back into place again, leaving the group in a chamber of another labyrinth.

"Oh great, another maze… Awesome." Sam commented sarcastically. Danny bumped her with his elbow and she shoved him back playfully.

"Let's go." Batman said simply before walking into a random hall. The teens followed behind like ducklings chasing their mother and Danny asked "Why are we taking this way?"

"Because we'll eventually find another chamber with another puzzle. It doesn't matter which route we take." Batman answered, noting the walls were the same dull grey they had been in the labyrinth before. The walls were just as bare as well.

The group wandered in and out of the halls, occasionally saying something sarcastic to ease their boredom and make the others laugh. Batman did not partake in that activity though, too busy rolling his eyes and wondering why he had to get stuck with the three idiotic teens.

As Batman was about to walk into another hall, Danny leaped onto his back and yelled "Bats, look!" into his ear. The Dark Knight looked in the direction Danny had pointed, barely restraining himself from beating the teen to a pulp.

A hallway in the distance had a small bit of light shining from it.

The group walked over to it after Batman shoved Danny off his back roughly. They looked down the long hall and saw that it had a brightly lit chamber at the end. Carefully, the four approached it and entered.

Just as before, all forms of exits closed once all of them had entered.

They prepared themselves for a fight and they paled when a foot of the wall near the ceiling opened up, creating a dark ring around the room. Loud hisses echoed throughout the room and three long, sleek bodies slithered out from the openings. The four jumped into the center of the room and watched the snakes slither out. All were black but one gleamed with all different colors, while another shone with dull browns, and the last gave off a small dull grey shine. All of their eyes were amber and slitted.

The snakes slithered around the room, hissing before they all stopped under a picture on the wall. They each looked at the group expectantly as three holes in the walls appeared. Inside was dark and they could see nothing within.

The first snake that was black and dull blue waited patiently under its picture. In the picture, a woman kneeled with her arms outstretched. Along her arms were wings. She wore glamorous clothing and by her feet was a snake with the same coloring as the snake on the ground. The hole in the wall was under her feet and the snake.

The second snake, the one that gleamed of the rainbow but was still pitch black, rested under a picture of a snake twisted into a circle that was every color imaginable. The snake circled the opening in the wall. Small trees and mountains popped over the snake's body.

The third snake, the one with dull coloring, rested beneath a picture of a snake with the same coloring. The serpent in the picture was talking to a tiny spider. The two seemed to be conversing and the opening was in-between the two animals.

"Um… Bats… What's going on?" Danny asked.

Batman contemplated the answer but eventually said "I don't quite know."

Another shaft opened in the wall and smaller serpents slithered forward. They were simply black with amber eyes that slithered across the ground. Dozens slipped around the floor, staying clear of the three bigger snakes. Some tried to bite the group in the middle when one of the figures moved. The group was eager to crush the serpents with their heel though, turning the shades to dust and ash.

"Bats, which exit do we take?" Danny asked.

"Why you asking me?"

"Because you're the mythology expert here! Save us, oh hero!"

Batman rolled his eyes but studied the pictures a little further. He made sure no serpent decided to bite him though, not quite keen on letting them kill him.

Looking at the serpent with the dull blue coloring, he surmised "That picture has Isis, the Egyptian mother goddess. There's a story where she wanted Ra's, the sun god's, secret name. So she made a snake out of clay and Ra's spittle and, when the snake injured him, she told him that she could heal him if he gave her his secret name."

He looked to the side, towards the picture of the rainbow serpent. "An Aboriginal myth states that, at the beginning of the world, all the creatures of the world were asleep under the surface of the earth. The Rainbow Serpent awoke and broke to the surface, where it journeyed around the world. Its massive body created mountains and valleys. Then it woke all the other creatures up and they recognized the serpent as the mother of life."

The Dark Knight looked over his shoulder, towards the picture with the snake and spider. "There's a Caribbean folktale where all animals acted like humans and, at the end of the day, they gathered together and told bedtime stories. This time of day was called Tiger time, as the tiger was the strongest animal around and wanted the stories to be named after him. A spider named Anansi wanted some stories named after him but Tiger refused. Anansi suggested if he were to get Snake, Tiger's former friend, to apologize to Tiger while he was all tied up, Tiger would let stories be named after him. Anansi tricked the snake into being tied to a bamboo stick by telling him Crocodile thought he was longer than Snake."

"That's all nice and dandy but what does that have to do with anything?" Tucker asked.

"Which one points to life?" Batman snapped at the teen.

"The Rainbow Serpent?" Sam asked hesitantly.

Batman nodded. "One snake was a tool that was used to bring pain, one was foolish and pompous, and the other brought life. We need to go towards life, like the last puzzle."

"We'll do that once we figure out how to make the snakes _go away_." Danny said, faking good cheer.

At his voice, the tiny little snakes turned and slithered away, right back into the small shaft they had exited from. The shaft closed behind them and the brown and blue snakes slithered back up the walls, into their little home as well. The rainbow serpent slowly slithered around the room, allowing the group to enter the opening in the wall.

The four retreated quickly and the hole closed behind them. The last thing they saw was the snake's amber eyes gleaming at them. A picture of the amber-eyed, rainbow serpent with all the other creatures of the world was left in its place.

Once inside the new section of labyrinth, the group sighed in relief.

"So we've been attacked by jackals and threatened by snakes… I am not looking forward to the next chamber." Tucker commented, making the others nod in agreement. Either way, they chose one of the many archways and continued their journey.

Walking around the third maze was boring and frustrating. Part of the group wanted to never find the next chamber. Another part of them wanted to find the chamber quickly so they could leave faster.

After much trial and error, they found they brightly lit room through an archway in the side of the wall. Batman asked if each teen was ready and, once they let him know they were good to go, led them inside hesitantly. Much like the last two times, any archways they could exit closed behind them before they could escape.

Growls immediately met their ears and the four looked up, startled.

Above them, the ceiling was higher than before. There were perches hanging from the ceiling, black ravens with red and violet eyes staring down at them silently. The walls went up and stopped, providing platforms for black, snarling wolves with cobalt eyes. They paced around their platforms, ready to lunge down any minute.

While the teens kept an eye on the wolves and the silent birds, Batman looked around on the walls.

There were two pictures. The first showed a wolf standing over two infants. Though the beast was scary, it seemed rather calm as it looked down at the children. Above the wolf and infants, almost disconnected from the picture entirely but belonging to the group anyways, a raven was swooping by with a string in its beak. A ball of light was at the end.

The other picture hosted the same creatures: a large wolf with sharp claws and teeth with rope tied around it. It had an angry but also calm expression. A little ways from the wolf, a raven sat in a tree, looking down at two identical humans. One of the humans was looking at the second with wide eyes, while the second seemed oblivious.

"Bats… You got any ideas cause the fluffy puppies want to eat our guts and the birdies want to peck our eyes out." Danny mumbled, smiling up at the growling creatures. Tucker chuckled nervously beside him while Sam rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"The first picture depicts a wolf watching over two infants, which happens in the Roman legend of Romulus and Remus. The raven above them is dragging a piece of sunlight behind it, from a Native American myth, and is taking to it to an Inuit village in the north that never had daylight." Batman explained before he looked over to the next picture. "And that one depicts Fenris, a giant wolf that was tricked into being tied up with a rope made of dark magic, since the Norse gods were afraid of Fenris. In Celtic mythology, ravens are associated with death. It also shows someone seeing their doppelganger, which in German mythology, meant you were going to die soon."

"…I'm guessing we're going with the first picture…" Danny commented, still staring at the various wolves. Batman hummed in confirmation. Danny nodded slowly. "Yeah… Thought so…"

Four of the roaming wolves above jumped down from their platforms and landed on the ground in front of the four figures. Cobalt eyes glared at them heatedly, growls and snarls falling from their mouths. One of the red-eyed ravens released a long chirp, and the shadow wolves lunged forward.

Fighting them was much like fighting the jackals. Once they threw the wolf away from them, it was back with a vengeance. Danny tried snapping his wolf's spine but it was harder to rein in than the jackal was. It squirmed and would usually claw his body when he tried.

"I honestly don't see the point of the animals attacking us! What did we do?" Tucker yelled, throwing his wolf away from him and jumping back from a lunge as it got back up.

"I don't know either but it seems we have to escape death to pass!" Sam answered, holding the shadow wolf in a chokehold as it tried to claw or bite her, to no avail.

"That… Actually makes sense!" Danny commented while he held his wolf under him, arms wrapped around its neck tightly. The teen jumped off the wolf abruptly when Batman threw his wolf into Danny's. The two shades went sprawling before getting back up and shaking. They growled before the red-eyed raven chirped again.

The four wolves calmed considerably and sat back on their haunches, staring at the four with cobalt eyes. One even tilted its head curiously, looking almost adorable.

"Unbelievable…" Tucker commented. The raven squawked loudly at him and Tucker launched himself behind Sam, hugging her from behind. "It's Sam's fault!"

The mercenary glared at the raven. "If you're angry, peck the boy's eyes out."

Danny pressed his hand to his face while Batman rolled his eyes.

One of the wolves got up and walked over to the picture representing life while the other three took to their shadow forms and went back up to the platforms, where they watched over the edge.

The red-eyed raven glided from its perch and landed on the other side of the picture. The wolf pressed its head to the wall and almost as if the wall weighed nothing, pushed it back with its head. Once out of the way, it took to its platform again. The raven chirped before gesturing to the open wall and the exit.

"This is the weirdest maze ever." Batman commented, voice free of any emotion. The three teens nodded before they all, slumped forward a little, trudged over to the opening in the wall and the three walked through. It closed behind them, with the raven watching them disappear.

Much to their joy, instead of being met with another dim labyrinth, they were met with a huge field and the night sky. The moon hung in the sky like a white disk, shining pale moonbeams across the earth. The night was cloudless and a warm breeze whizzed by, making the trees flow to the side with a small rustle.

"Freedom!" Danny yelled and fell onto the ground, arms and legs splayed out and face in the grass. He yelled something but the words were muffled by the dirt and grass. Batman shook his head while he watched the teen perform his 'I-love-freedom' ritual while Sam and Tucker laughed at their friend's doing.

The teen got back up and rubbed his face. "Alright, what now?"

"You were _supposed_ to _die_."

Four heads snapped to where another person stood, anger radiating off them in anger. The man had black hair, a long black beard, and wore a purple robe with intricate, golden designs.

"You were _all_ supposed to _die_."

Sarcastically, Danny said "Yeah, that's what all of Batsy's villains say. Oh well!"

The man scowled at the teen. "Brat."

Danny shrugged at him and stated "Creep-a-zoid."

"Excuse me?! Why on earth would you call me that?!"

"Cause I _can_, fool! Got a problem with that?"

"You know him?" Batman snapped.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, that's the idiot who was running the fight ring. You'd recognize him if he was wearing a _suit_."

"Enough of that!"

"I thought you put him in jail." Sam said.

"I did. I didn't know he was a magician though!" Danny yelled, flipping the other man off. "His name's Zebulon. I call him Zeppelin though."

The man, Zebulon, glared at the teen even more, eye twitching. Danny waved flirtatiously, batting his eyes. The magic wielder released a violet blast upon them, making them all jump out of the way. Danny yelled "Retreat!" to his friends and the teens took off, leaving Batman to fend for himself. The Dark Knight growled under his breath as he got up.

"And to think, you let that little brat live." Zebulon said before beginning to try to pulverize the Caped Crusader.

* * *

The Crime Trio flew through the trees, jumping over ditches and fallen trees, as well as many other obstacles. Pants fell from their mouths as they rushed through the trees, away from the fight they could hear going down behind them. They continued to press on.

Danny, though he was the one who called the retreat, felt guilty for leaving behind the Dark Knight. He was the one who saved him from that psycho. His ghost powers, once the band was off, could defeat him.

But his mind told him to press forward.

But his heart ached to help.

Danny stopped and he looked back at the battle scene.

It was his turn to go back and do something.

* * *

**I found all of the mythology above in my mythology book from B&amp;N except for the jackal-spirit-guide-thing and which mythology the Raven is associated with death in. Those could both be wrong. Everything else, I had to find in my huge book. -.-'**

**Also... How many of you think this is just a little _too_ easy? o.O**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: _FrankZTank13, Crali. Reynoso, The Deranged Pan, I Am Rolf, WordSmyth, Kireah, ShadowPhantom164, Team Cromaka, Jedexa, Iymea._**

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**Reviews:**

**Astroshadow: Yeah~! *throws confetti***

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**Allietheepic7: Because she was trying to comprehend the fact her baby brother suddenly showed up with Batman. XD**

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: Yeah family~! Thank you~!**

**Grava: XD Hate to hear you have glasses but glad you can read again! Psychoanalyzation, fun!**

**Bibbledoo: *imagines memory lane with you***

**Scheffelman: Oh, defiantly! It's what makes them them! :D**

**YumiStar: They have the most dynamic of relationships, don't they? XD**

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**Poohbearmorris: They're friends... FOR NOW! HAHAHA! XD I'm so mean to you.**

**16ckelman: It's sorta the end of crime...! The truce was temporary! XD**

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**KainVixenheim: *snickers* You'll just have to find out, now won't you? :D**

**Ninuhuju: I'm not that evil (yes I am. who am I kidding?)! XD**

**THEBOXGHOST113: Oh, I get it. No worries. WOW. GLAD YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER SO MUCH. XD The other two can meet Jazz in an unlikely situation, yes. XD**

**Saiyan Moon Goddess: Yeah~! You can't avoid them forever, Danny! ...I just got this weird idea I don't know if I should do or not...**

**H. H. Xia: XD**

**Inviso-Al: ...I don't know if you want that answer or not...**

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**Guest(1 or I think you called yourself Shadow?): I had to reread your message three or four times because I could not honestly believe it. Thanks so much for that wonderful speech that got my speedy fingers working faster than before! :D**


	18. Beginning of the End

Ch.18: Beginning of the End

Danny, eyes red and teary, rocked himself in the farthest corner of his cell. His orange jumpsuit hung off his thin frame, getting bigger every day he didn't eat. His huge eyes stared ahead blankly at the cement wall unbelieving. Anxiety churned in his stomach unforgiving-ly and he was sure he was going to start sobbing any minute.

All the sudden, his still body lurched forward and began to frantically try to get the cuff off. The inhibitor bracelet refused to budge from its place of his wrist, locked into his skin. Danny pulled at them fruitlessly, ignoring the way his skin ached in protest and occasionally tore.

Danny tried rewiring it, tearing it off, _anything_ but the cuff remained locked to his skin. He tried smashing it but it didn't give way. Finally, he put the skin under his wrist to the sharp edge of his cot and began scraping it against. His skin began tearing instantly under the strain. Danny continued on, ignoring his pain in an attempt to survive.

Blood began caking the pointy edge of the cot and the liquid fell to the floor, splattering and staining the cement. He continued trying, eventually tearing muscle and hitting bone in a vain attempt to slash his own hand off.

Danny was so busy trying to get the inhibitor off, he didn't notice the door open and one of the guard peek in. He yelled a loud curse and raced forward, pulling the teen away from the cot and screaming "What the heck are you _doing_, Kid?! That is nasty!"

Danny lashed out at the guard, his intent to kill and escape, but others quickly rushed in to subdue the riled teen and to help their startled comrade.

The need to survive quickly left the teen once he was pinned to the ground by a couple of older, stronger guards, leaving him feeling helpless. He occasionally arched his back in a vain attempt to try and escape. The teen found it useless though and he caved again.

Some medics came by and, after sedating the stressed teen, wrapped his wrist with gauze. They grimaced at how deep Danny managed to get before anyone found out.

Once the medics were done, one of the sympathetic guards picked the youth up and placed him on his cot. Danny remained motionless as a blanket was draped over his body before the guards and medics filed out of the room, vowing to pay closer attention to the desperate teen, not willingly to relive the scare they had just received.

Danny slept for a few hours before he awoke again. Dull blue eyes scanned his surroundings before he recognized his place and whimpered pathetically, a couple of tears falling from his eyes. He sat up, stomach churning horrendously, and grabbed his injured wrist. Only half-caring, he tried to take the bracelet apart again.

Just as before, it didn't work.

The teen ripped the bloody gauze off his wrist and plopped onto the ground beside his cot again. Halfheartedly, Danny began sawing his hand off again at half the pace he had been going before. Teary blue eyes watched blankly, not sure of what to do other than that.

He still couldn't believe the events that had happened the month before.

Danny, creator of the Dark-Net and half-ghost teen, had finally been caught.

After beating Zebulon to a pulp with the Dark Knight, the Crime Trio had fled the scene. They had decided to split up, making tracking them harder. Sam and Tucker had hijacked two helicopters. Danny went about to hijack one for himself when he found himself surrounded by a bunch of American troops. He fought back as best he could but he couldn't escape so many soldiers with the inhibitor bracelet still stuck to his wrist.

Danny later found out that Zebulon had set them up. He had used his knowledge of the Dark-Net and Danny's identity to strike a deal with the government: Zebulon would draw the teen into a trap and, in exchange, he got a full pardon for his crimes.

The trial process had gone by rather quickly because Danny was "a crafty escape artists and cold-blooded killer". The government wanted the teen's fate decided as quickly as possible, knowing his danger level, and made time for him on an irregular schedule.

The media had yet to find about his "creator of the Dark-Net" status, as the government did not want too much alarm to rise. Most people only knew that Danny was an assassin that was tech-savvy. _Very_ tech-savvy.

On a few dozen murder charges and some other charges Danny didn't know of, he was put on death row. His lethal injection was scheduled for the next day.

Which was why he was so desperate to get out.

Danny continued to half-heartedly try and cut his hand off. He was making no progress though and there was only a small, dull throb in his wrist. Only a couple drops of blood dripped to the floor, staining the concrete again. Danny hardly noticed it.

The door opened and Danny half-expected a bunch of medics and guards to rush in and stop him. Much to his mild surprise, only one pair of footsteps entered the room with the door closing behind them. The _click-clack_ sound of the guest's boots got closer to Danny, who didn't look up at his visitor. There was a rustle of clothing and a gloved hand grabbed his injured one and stopped it from hitting the cot's sharp corner again. The dull throb remained though.

"That's not exactly a smart idea."

"I'm going to die tomorrow anyways. I don't see a point." Danny responded and tugged at his wrist. "The medics didn't even put on antiseptic. They don't care either."

The visitor didn't reply but he did wrap the gauze around the teen's wrist. He made the knot tight and Danny just shook his head and rolled his eyes at the display Batman just gave him.

The two sat in silence for awhile before Batman said "I meant to come before this."

Danny shrugged, not all that concerned before he moved over the wall and sat against it. He gestured for the Dark Knight to join him and sit beside him. "It's fine. I didn't think you'd come anyways so this is kind of a surprise to me."

Batman moved over to the offered spot and leaned against the wall. Danny took the adult's hand and put it in his lap, playing with the glove's loose material and the appendages hanging off the adult's palm.

"Did anyone bother to visit?" Batman asked.

"Yes, actually. My parents and my sister." Danny answered, nodding.

"And..?"

"My parents cried the entire time while I gave them a look. Jazz tried to understand why I did some of the things I did but I didn't exactly offer any pleasing answers, now did I?" Danny replied, feeling along all the ridges of the Dark Knight's glove.

"Pleasant." Batman sarcastically commented.

Danny nodded sarcastically back, still mesmerized by the adult's glove he held. Batman watched Danny play around with his costume before he asked "Are you having fun?"

"I don't feel as crappy as I did before so I'm going to say yes. This is almost therapeutic." Danny stated, even though he lacked any emotion on his face.

Batman watched his facial expression for a minute or two before he whispered "How are you?"

Danny chose not to answer immediately, content to focus solely on his visitor's glove and play with a few loose strands of fabric. The little strips of string were twirled around the teen's finger before being released and spun again, over and over. Though the thread did not stay curled, Danny continued to try and make it curly.

"I'm terrified."

Batman was not surprised by the response. Any person in their right mind would be terrified of dying while strapped to a bed and being injected full of drugs and chemicals. The Dark Knight wondered if Danny's parents or sister would show up to watch. He knew others were ready to watch the young teen die.

Danny took his attention away from the thread around the glove and began tracing the different ridges again. It cured the boredom that had revolved around him for the past week and some before that. He hadn't been out of his cell (willingly) in a long time. Once he heard he was going to die, he just stopped caring.

The Dark Knight, not liking the silence for once, dug into his belt and pulled something out. He put it in Danny's line of view and got a strange look from the teen. "What?"

"Why do you have a lollipop on you?"

Batman shrugged. "I thought you might want it."

Danny stared at the treat, wondered if he should take it before deciding that a cavity wouldn't have time to manifest before he died. The teen snatched the orange treat, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it in his mouth, content to go back and play with Batman's glove while he twisted the orange ball in his mouth.

"Do you know where Sam and Tuck are?" Danny asked. He was just curious. The teen had made them promise that if he ever got caught, they'd stay away and not bother to bust him out. Danny didn't want them caught like he was. He was very happy they hadn't tried to spring him from prison.

Batman, hesitantly, nodded. "I know vaguely. Tucker's trying to change the court's mind anonymously."

"And Sam?"

"… She begged me to come here a few hours ago."

"Are you sure that was Sam? I've never, _ever_ seen her beg for anything since I've known her." Danny asked suspiciously.

"It was her." Batman stated sullenly. Danny gazed at the Dark Knight with his blue stare before he finally nodded. His eyes fell back down to the gloved hand in his lap, which he was having fun playing with, taking in the feeling of the presence beside him.

"You know I had a lot of mentors…" Danny stated and got a nod from Batman. "…but you didn't know that most of them gave up on me and sent me away."

The Dark Knight stared at Danny questioningly. "But… You're a genius. Why would they..?"

"It wasn't cause I was dumb. Or that I didn't get what they were teaching. They let me go cause I was a little brat." Danny explained, looking at his visitor from the corner of his eyes. "I put viruses on their computers that took forever to get rid of. I called them names that are banned in some countries. I got them arrested for a couple things…"

"Sounds like you…" Batman mumbled.

Danny hummed in confirmation before saying "Calculator put up with me the longest… I did so much crap to him and he kept me around for so long… I never found out why. There was one other…Clockwork…that I really liked. He couldn't teach me _too_ much because his…_bosses_…were a bunch of tight-wads that never let you live down anything. I didn't stay with him as long as I would've liked but there was no point in staying if I wasn't learning anything."

Batman watched as Danny debated with himself if he should say more. It took a minute before he decided that he could.

"They were the closest paternal figures I ever had…"

Batman nodded, seeing how they could be.

"You were even closer."

The Dark Knight lifted his eyes from the glove in Danny's hand to his face, shock written clear across it. Danny flicked his eyes up as well and shrugged. "No matter the crap I put you through, you kept coming back and trying to help. You were always just… There."

Batman shook his head slowly. "So why did you..?"

"…abandon you? It was _because_ you were always there. Everyone I looked up to got rid of me eventually. Sooner or later, you would too. So I ditched you first." Danny explained.

"We could've worked something out."

"I didn't know that before... But it's a little too late for patching things up now, huh?" Danny asked, letting his eyes fall back down to where Batman's hand rested in his lap. He picked it up and held it to his chest, running his fingers over the fabric again.

"I thought we were patching things up quite nicely." Batman commented.

Danny hummed. "We were, kinda. A temporary truce every once in awhile isn't exactly a healing balm."

"No. But it _was_ working."

"True."

The two sat in silence again, content with companionable silence that had enveloped them. Danny continued to hold the Dark Knight's hand to himself and he asked "When do you need to leave?"

"Why?" Batman asked.

"Cause I don't want you to go." Danny answered emotionlessly.

Batman contemplated the answer before he responded "I'll be here till you go to sleep."

"I hope you know I haven't been doing a lot of sleeping lately."

"Yeah… I heard about that."

"Really? Who would tell you that?"

"Your prison file."

* * *

Superman watched as Batman worked furiously on the computer, trying to do something the Man of Steel didn't quite understand. But Batman's work was just confusing like that. It almost never made sense to anyone unless the Dark Knight decided to tell you why and for what.

"I haven't seen you work this hard in a long time, Batman." Superman commented good-naturedly as he walked up behind the Dark Knight.

"Go away."

Superman's smile instantly dropped. "Have I told you how wonderful you are before?"

"No."

"Good. There's a reason for that."

Batman rolled his eyes before responding "I'm working on something important. Leave me alone."

"What are you working on?" Superman asked, completely ignoring the Dark Knight's last statement, which earned him a very heated Bat-Glare. "Come on, Bruce. Just tell me."

"I'm working on a deal with someone."

"What's the deal for and who are you talking with?"

Batman rubbed his head, mumbling "I'd rather be shot with heat vision than suffer through this."

"Bruce, just tell me already."

"Look Kent, I've got a time limit and I need to work. So I would appreciate it if you just _go. Away._" Batman snapped at him before trying to become re-involved in what he was doing. Superman watched him work; pondering what could make the Dark Knight so edgy in the first place. His brain popped recent news coverage in his face.

"…is it about that kid on death row?"

Batman paused before replying "The kid is the one you met in Las Vegas a year or so ago."

"Thought he looked familiar." Superman mumbled.

Batman nodded in acknowledgment. "Disregarding everything he's done, I still see his potential. Granted, it's dampened because he's currently depressed but if someone were just to give him a chance and let him prove that he can do good too…"

"I get it, Bruce." Superman assured.

Batman remained quiet for a moment before getting back to work hurriedly.

Superman began walking away but said a loud "Good luck."

Batman nodded in acknowledgement again.

* * *

**I hope this was like a slap in the face. *thumbs up* **

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**R****eviews:**

**Poohbearmorris: Time to be nice, you say... ... ... ... I'm not going to say anything after this chapter.**

**Scheffelman: ...yeah...especially after that little event...**

**Roselin: I'm glad you enjoyed! I love mending time, don't you? XD**

**Guest of Honor: ...you happy now? I owe you nothing because I agreed to nothing. *evil smile***

**Tigergirl1723: I love bonding! And they're bonding all right...**

**Bibbledoo: His life is definitely complicated. XD If that were to happen, we would all die.**

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: I love puzzles~! XDDDD**

**Grava: Yep! It's so interesting! ;D**

**Guest(1): Thanks so much! :D**

**16ckelman: ...*opens mouth*...*closes mouth*...*opens mouth*...*closes mouth*...*walks away***

**The Keeper of Worlds: XD She's fun and peppy alright.**

**KuriMaster13: XD Good job for figuring it out! Especially since I made that very last minute!**

**Ninuhuju: *nods* Good. That was the point. ...not so easy now, is it? *smiles nervously***

**YumiStar: Yup. It kinda sucks for him though.**

**KainVixenheim: Yeah, it took forever. -.-' XD Glad you enjoyed!**

**Shadow: I never read the Percy Jackson series. Hm. :D I got all the stories from my huge book on mythology. It's got over 300 hundred pages of that stuff.**

**Sarra Torrens: Thank you, thank you!**

**Eirena Gaia: XD Glad you enjoying so much! Does it seem easy now?**

**SweetyKinz: :DDDDDDDDD DUDE. YOU'RE SO WONDERFUL AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW. You're seriously one of the best writers too and I'm so happy we're friends! :DDDDD**


	19. Compromises

Ch.19: Compromises

Danny remained tense under the hands of the troops escorting him to his death. Even though his muscles had begun eating themselves to stay alive, they were twisted painfully to keep himself mildly calm. Even though his face was blank and didn't seem to really care about where he was being brought, inside he was running through scenarios he could've done to stay alive and not get caught. He thought of all the things he could've been doing at that moment: hacking, training, traveling, visiting, _anything else_.

Danny remained stiff as the guards pushed his slow form down the hall, closer to the iron door looming ahead. He bit his lip, trying hard not to attack the older male every time his hand landed on his shoulder or mid-back. The teen thought of all the ways he could kill the escort: snap his neck, slit his throat, shoot him through the heart. The cuffs on his hands and around his wrists did not allow him this kind of mobility though.

Closer and closer to the iron door they walked. Danny tried to slow the process as much as possible, absolutely terrified of dying, but the troop pushed him forward still. The prisoner growled at him but the escort rolled his eyes in annoyance, even though he'd heard all the stories of what the teen had done.

So what if he had killed dozens of people and hacked plenty of people without a second thought? Danny was in custody. He couldn't do anything to change what he was going to happen even if he hacked all the people in the world.

The second escort, who was more sympathetic to the teen's plight, gestured for his buddy to stop antagonizing Danny. He patted the boy's shoulder reassuringly, as if it would make a difference, but was shrugged off. He frowned and got a head-shake from the first troop.

The three walked up to the door, the first escort pushing Danny roughly. He got a sharp look from the teen and a disapproving word from his troop friend. The escort rolled his eyes before opening the door and pushing Danny in again.

Danny looked around the room, very on edge now. He was having trouble containing it at that moment, as all the sights and smell hit him like a train at a full speed.

The prison warden and a few other officials were waiting in the room. Most wore emotionless expressions, not showing any signs of sadness or remorse for what was about to happen but not being sadistic and smiling that they had caught and put a highly dangerous criminal down.

The bed with various straps and padding waited for Danny. Machines of all sort stood next to it, as well as an IV tube that would be used to inject the lethal drug into his system. A stale, sterile air wafted through the air, making it almost hurt to breathe, irritating the nose tremendously.

At the end of the bed and farther back was a large, glass wall. Beyond the wall was a large, dark room with various rows of chairs at different elevations. People Danny had never seen before in his life sat emotionless in the stands. Most hadn't even bothered to wear black.

In the front row, Jazz, Maddie, and Jack sat in their chairs while silently crying. All of them were decked out in funeral garb, as if they had just come from one or were about to go to one. Jazz hadn't bothered to wear makeup but Maddie's eyeliner and other makeup were smeared badly, some making a black river down her face. Jack, as the water cascaded down his face, bit his lip and tried to take in what he saw.

Danny could vaguely understand Jazz's sadness. He couldn't understand his parents', though, after everything he had done to them.

The first troop roughly pushed Danny closer to the waiting bed but the second escort sighed in annoyance before gently leading Danny over, leaving his friend to roll his eyes in his own irritation. The teen was guided over and he got on the cold sheets. The troop had to forcefully lean Danny back and lock him in, since Danny was still resistant to all forces, even in his weakened state.

As the assigned medic began inserting the needle into Danny's arm, the prison warden asked "Is there anything you would like to say?"

The teen mulled over the thought before answering "Ya'll suck and are a bunch of hypocrites. How's that for some last words, hm?"

Many eye rolls were sent his way as well as a few sighs.

Even though he was facing death, Danny had to congratulate himself for managing to be irritating still. Some people would smack him and that was oddly comforting, though it did nothing to ease the anxiety churning his stomach horrendously.

One of the more official people gestured for the medic to begin injecting Danny with the drug. The medic nodded before turning on the machine. A fluid seeped through the tube and into Danny's tense body. The teen strained against the bonds for the longest time before he began feeling sleepy. He began relaxing until…

He snapped back to reality. He was still standing just inside the door.

Danny spun around and kicked the second escort away before quickly throwing his arms over the first guard's shoulders, getting the chain in-between the cuffs over his head. Danny fell behind the guard and pulled, choking the older male and guarding himself from the other armed officials in the room.

The teen looked over the choking man's shoulder and glared at the other occupants in the room. They all had guns trained on him and were hesitating to move forward. The occupants in the dark room just beyond were mostly standing now, staring at Danny in absolute horror. His family wore the same expression, even though seconds before they were crying at their loss.

Danny rolled his eyes. He was going to live, wasn't he? Why weren't they happy?

Oh, maybe because he was escaping illegally and was probably going to kill someone else in the process.

The teen, now smirking, walked carefully back, dragging the guard with him. "Well, it was nice seeing you all and everything but I'm just going to leave now because, frankly, I don't wanna die. But then again, who does?"

With that, Danny dragged the guard out and shut the iron door behind him. Still choking the troop but loosening his hold, Danny pulled his hostage down the hall with him. He looked through various halls and such casually, just trying to find a place to ditch the deadweight he was carrying around, as well as something to break the cuffs he was wearing.

A storage closet came across their path and Danny ducked into it while closing the door behind him. The teen threw the guard into a wall, getting the chain out from around his neck and bashing his joined fists into the poor hostage's head. The guard crumpled instantly and collapsed to the floor.

Danny waited to see if the adult would wake but, alas, he did not and the boy pondered what to do about his cuffs.

After much struggling and cursing, Danny managed to break the chain with a hammer but just barely.

The teen glared at the cuffs still around his wrists but surmised he'd get them off when he wasn't in the immediate danger of getting caught. Just as he pondered what to do next, the alarms blared outside his room and he quickly changed into the guard's outfit, noticing how baggy it was. Danny did his best to make it look more form fitting but didn't succeed too much on that.

Sighing, Danny shrugged and sighed before sliding over to the door. He peeked out and swiftly slid into the chaotic mess of guards searching for the escaping prisoner. Danny, trying to hide the fact he was _a lot_ younger than any officer around, kept his head ducked and snatched a baseball cap from someone else.

Rushing around the prison and getting lost _multiple_ times, Danny finally found a sign that would lead him to the exit. Just as he was about to follow the sign, someone roughly bumped into him and the loose hat fell away from Danny's head. The panting guard reached down and picked up the hat with a half-hearted apology. As he rose, he saw Danny's own panicked face and blanched.

"Oh, look at the time… I should really be going…" Danny mumbled before knocking the guard down and sprinting away, down the hall that pointed to the exit. He heard shouts behind him, over the loud alarm, and picked up his pace as he was pursued by a large group of troops.

Panting, the teen saw the exit ahead of him. Eager to be away from his confide, another burst of speed overtook him. Danny drew closer and closer to the doors. He was very close to making it and couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why no one had shot him yet.

Just as his hands were about to meet the door to push it open, something pierced his arm and he slammed into the exit out of surprise. Ignoring the pain he just stupidly inflicted his ribs and head, he yanked the syringe from his arm and looked around worriedly.

His eyes met the Dark Knight's own hard stare and the tranquilizer in his hands.

Slowly, Danny slipped to the floor and wondered 'why?' before falling unconscious under Batman's stare and the guard's quick approach bearing down on him.

* * *

Danny surfaced to consciousness and noticed immediately he was lying on something very uncomfortable and very familiar. His ears strained to hear something but were only met with the sound of heavy footfalls pacing the room he was in.

Danny knew those footsteps.

Blue eyes opening, Danny looked up at Batman's pacing figure, going up and down his cell restlessly. From what Danny could see on the male's mostly hidden face, he could conclude the Dark Knight was very irritated with something; probably with him, if Danny knew any better. One arm was crossed across the hero's chest while the other hung loosely from its socket.

Danny watched Batman pace back and forth from his spot on his cot. His bored blue eyes followed the hero from where he paced in a straight line, back and forth.

"Is that fun?" Danny asked dryly, gaining the attention he wanted from the Dark Knight.

"No but you wouldn't know." Batman stated harshly back.

Danny shrugged before sitting up and getting on his own feet. It was a little woozy at first but he pushed through it, remaining standing on his own two feet without any help from any other person.

The Dark Knight watched, uninterested.

"Did you have to mess with my escape? Now they'll just probably reschedule my death day, right?" Danny asked, anger flaring in his eyes at the thought. And to think, he willingly took a lollipop from the man in front of him just the night before. The world was a sick, sick place like that.

Batman glared back, un-amused. "I don't know what they're going to do. They were yelling at each other when I left."

"Why? Were they berating themselves for being idiots? Again?" Danny asked, mocking a pout and batting his eyes sarcastically. The teen clasped his hands in front of him cutely for extra measure.

The Dark Knight glared at the teen. "No. They were deciding whether to let you live or not."

"What's stopping them from trying to kill me again? Seriously? If anything, I should be dead right now. Kill me in my sleep and all that loveliness just to get me off the living plane. Why aren't I dead?" Danny asked, giving the adult a serious look.

"Because I made a deal with them." Batman's voice said, hard and stern.

Danny looked up at the adult with a confused and serious look. "A deal? …what kind of deal..?"

"I told them I could convince you to a reform if they took you off death row." Batman stated.

"Reform me? Dude, I haven't bought a new outfit in a year! How can you expect me to change my entire attitude when I barely even change my clothes?" Danny asked, completely astonished by the very concept of switching from the dark side to the light.

"I couldn't get you off death row any other way. They didn't want to lock you up for life with a chance of possible escape. They wanted you dead or on their side. I thought you didn't want to die." Batman explained sternly.

"Who wants to die?! I know I'm a messed up person but I am _not_ that kind of screwy!"

Batman rolled his eyes. "Moving on. I was just coming to get you and stop the injection when the alarm starts going off. You're apparently making an escape. I barely stopped you from doing so and now the ones in control of your fate are deciding whether to go on with the deal or to finally put you down like the rabid dog they think you are."

Danny glared at Batman heatedly. "You imagine walking down that cursed hallway, thinking of every plan to escape and kill your captors. I want you to imagine stepping into that room, everyone staring at you as if you're the monster when they're about to do the exact same thing you've done. Imagine how anxious you would be. Then times that by ten. Then times it by a hundred. If you can honestly tell me you wouldn't try something under that strain then I guess I am nothing more than a cowardly dog, got it?"

Batman, completely straight faced, stated "I would try something."

"Then don't go acting like I did something wrong." Danny stated.

The two's conversation was abruptly interrupted by a guard at the door. It was the same man that Danny had kidnapped just a few hours before. He did not seem to be happy about his capture and his scowl only deepened when Danny smirked at him darkly in amusement.

After the troop silently put another set of cuffs around Danny's wrists, making sure they were extra tight even though Danny showed no signs of discomfort, he led the two occupants of the room out of the cell and down the hall. Batman walked behind Danny while the troop played line-leader.

The three silently walked into another room where all the officials were waiting. Most were still heated about the attempted escape but there were a couple who were completely calm or they were just hiding their anger very well. Danny couldn't tell which.

As they walked into the room, Danny lifted his hand with a smirk and said "Hello ladies~! I'm-a so happy to see all your pretty little faces again!"

Batman slapped him upside the head _hard_ for that.

Danny's amused grin dropped instantly after being slapped and he glared up at the adult, hiding his nervousness under sarcasm, insults, and irritation.

The prison warden walked forward and stood in front of the small group while the escort dropped back by the door. Batman stood straight behind and beside the teen he was trying to save while Danny remained slouched forward, not thrilled in the least.

"Against their better judgment," The warden started, earning many eye rolls behind him. "these agents have decided to let you live and are willing to proceed with the deal Batman set up and most likely told you about?"

Danny hummed and said "To say I am thrilled to go along with this would be the biggest lie I ever told. But I'm still going to do it. Reluctantly."

The warden sighed but replied sarcastically "Isn't that wonderful?"

"That's the word I would use…"

_Smack!_

"Ow!" Danny yelled as he instinctively rubbed the back of his head. He glared up at the black-clad adult behind him and said "You are _very_ irritating, you know that?"

Batman didn't respond, just stared forward without any signs of emotion.

Danny grumbled to himself but looked back towards the warden. "Alright… Since I'm going to be "good" now, what's the first thing I'm supposed to do? Say sorry to the puppy I last kicked? Ride a pony? Surf a rainbow?"

Behind him, Batman was close to kicking the teen to the moon.

"We have something else in mind." One of the supposed government agents said as he stepped forward.

Danny narrowed his eyes at the agent. "Fan-frikkin-tastic."

* * *

**I hope you all made it to the end without dying.**

**For those who enjoy criminal-Danny... I enjoyed that a ton too but this story was going to end one of two ways. A) Someone we all love is going to die. Or B) With the way I'm currently taking. And I am also currently looking at my track record and counting how many times I've killed someone. And the body count is still rising. So I'm going with option B, yeah~!**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: _Tsukinopen, TimeLordLucario, TwilightWakerofTime._**

**Reviews:**

**Tigergirl1723: Well Danny becomes something... Not necessarily his partner but something...**

**Roselin: You were the only one who didn't feel too surprised. XD **

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: :D I enjoyed your reaction.**

**Grava: That's what I was aiming for so score on my part!**

**Poohbearmorris: You actually thought I was gonna kill someone?! *looks at track record* ...never mind...**

**YumiStar: ...SCORE...**

**Guest(1): I did that. *points to chapter***

**Scheffelman: He does something like that.**

**Guest of Honor: Glad you enjoyed that hilarious part at the end. XD I hate death row too. We so don't have that right to take other's lives. And, since Joker can and does plead insane, he gets out of death row. Wonderful, right?**

**Ninuhuju: I agree with your cheer so much. :D**

**SFN: Well, that didn't quite happen... Sorry?**

**Saiyan Moon Goddess: I feel ya on that. It is hypocritical. Death row itself is a hypocrite. XD That's what you think of me as? Sweet~! I enjoy making you guys wonder!**

**Tsukinopen: Why thank you!**

**Bibbledoo: I quite enjoyed your reaction to this chapter. XD**

**16ckelman: Oh, you left me speechless alright. XD Don't feel bad~!**

**Sarra Torrens: That's what I was aiming for~!**

**Expergiscimini: Cause the world is an unfair place like that... Oh well.**

**Astroshadow: *thumbs up***

**SweetyKinz: THAT REVIEW, BY NO MEANS, WAS SHORT. IT BARELY FIT MY SCREEN. NOT EVEN JOKING. MY FACE WHEN IT CAME IN WAS PRICELESS. XD Oh, dude, I only talk to you daily too! I have no regrets about that either. :D I wuv talking to you so much~! :DDD**

**KainVixenheim: I am an evil person. Thank you for noticing. *grins***

**KuriMaster13: That idea would have been interested but I had this chapter done before you reviewed so... Whoops? He does live though! :D**

**Shadow: That's what I was aiming for. *smiles contently* I got it at B&amp;N's! Here: www. barnesandnoble (add the dot com here) /w/myths-and-legends-various/1110804815?ean=9781435144200 (Erase spaces. Obviously.)**

**Allietheepic7: Not exactly... :D**


	20. Lies We Tell And Irritation We Bring

Ch.20: Lies We Tell And Irritation We Bring

Danny glared at the cuffs around his wrist as he leaned back against the uncomfortable back of his seat. Batman sat straight beside him, not quite acknowledging his presence at that moment. Both radiated irritation and the other occupants of the large truck, American troops, remained completely emotionless.

The teen studied the cuffs a little closer, pushing his annoyance to the side as he stared them down. Maybe he'd get heat vision at that exact moment and they'd melt off!

Danny waited for the heat vision to come in but, much to his disappointment, nothing happened.

Growling, Danny discreetly looked for a thin piece of metal he could use to pick them off. Nothing was coming to him though but he continued looking anyhow. If he could, he'd phase them off but the inhibitor bracelet was still locked to his wrist.

The teen would deal with that irksome device when he needed too.

Danny twisted his hands in unnatural positions, trying to break the cuffs off, but that didn't work. He continued to try anyways, ignoring the ruckus he was making by jingling the cuffs every time he twisted them. He was earning a lot of stares from the silent troops.

Batman, sighing, pulled something out of his backpack and shoved it into Danny's hands. The teen stared at the various granola bars in his hands before asking "What the heck are these for?"

"One: To start getting your weight back up. Two: To keep your hands busy so you won't accidently break them trying to escape." Batman answered, casting a dry expression at the teen from the corners of his eyes. The two stared at each other before Danny reluctantly caved and opened one of the granola bars.

"I wouldn't have actually broken them."

"Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, you little moron."

Danny made a face at the adult before taking a big bite from his snack. The boy gazed at the other troops in the vehicle and gave them a look. "What do you want, fools?"

Batman rolled his eyes. "Don't insult them."

"I will do as I please."

"Except get out of those cuffs, am I right?"

Danny rammed himself into the Dark Knight's side but only managed to jostle himself up, as Batman was like a brick wall.

Batman smirked at the younger while Danny tore off another bite from his food, glaring heatedly at the soldier in front of him. The troop was quickly becoming nervous under the younger's gaze but Danny seemed oblivious to the older's plight. Batman looked between the nervous troop and irritated Danny. "Enough with the pity party."

The teen whined. "I'm not having a pity party~!"

"You lie."

Danny held up the granola bar. "This is you." He took a big bite of the granola bar and emphasized his chewing before swallowing loudly. "Now you are in my tummy, being eaten away by my stomach acid, on the way to becoming crap."

Batman face-palmed and let out a long sigh while Danny cackled beside him, taking another bite from his snack.

The rest of the ride was mostly quiet. Danny chose to be obnoxious a couple of times, which usually resulted in some sort of violence from Batman.

The large truck eventually came to a stop and the troops eagerly left first, followed by the Dark Knight while he shouldered his backpack and his sort-of ward that left his granola bar wrappers on the bench. The two silently turned to the large complex in front of them, long stretches of desert on either side of them. The sky above them was blue and cloudless. Dry, hot air swirled around them uncomfortably.

Looking around, Danny mumbled "This scene is so cliché."

"Can you shut up for five minutes?"

"Nope. I have a motor mouth, remember?"

Batman sighed in annoyance again, wondering why he had had to be declared the boy's 'handler'. Then he remembered he was the one to suggest the deal in the first place.

A man with a crew cut and decked out in camo strode up to them with a stern look. The soldiers stood at attention as he walked by and stood in front of the reforming convict and the Dark Gotham Guardian. He was older than the other troops but that added to the sense of authority he had around him.

"Welcome to _Area 51_. I am General Nate Olsen and I'll be your escort." The man said simply and gestured for the two to follow him towards the complex behind him.

Danny remained in his spot and he said up to his handler "He says that as if we didn't know it was already here."

Batman shoved Danny forward, after General Olsen, and mumbled "Just walk."

"Don't _manhandle_ me."

"Shut up and listen and I might think about it."

The two followed after the general, one more reluctant than the other, and journeyed into the large complex. Inside, there was a ton of security that took forever to get through and, once inside, it was hard to maneuver around the hustle and bustle of scientists and other military staff.

Glaring at all the older people that gave him weird looks, Danny asked "Why am I here? I have a feeling it has something to do with my network."

"It does." General Olsen answered plainly.

Danny's glare intensified. "Details please."

"Patience please." Batman echoed and Danny gave him an irritated look. Batman gave him a patient look back and Danny calmed but remained irritable, grumbling curses and insulting names under his breath. The Dark Knight patted Danny's shoulder as they walked, knowing that was the quietest he would get the teen.

The general of little words led the two to a large room where a dozen techies were working on what Danny recognized as his network. The teen couldn't tell if they were doing a good job on it or not though and that irritated him the most. He just wanted to know what the government _monsters_ had done to his work.

General Olsen turned to Danny and informed "We just need you to shut it down."

Danny laughed sarcastically and mumbled "Yeah, sure I'll do that…"

Batman took a breath as Danny walked up to one of the computers and began to look through his network files and such, scanning through every move the government had made to it. The Dark Knight watched as Danny grew increasingly agitated with what he saw until he got up and asked "Where's a supply closet?"

Confused, Olsen pointed to a door off to the side and Danny stalked towards it. He opened the door, walked in, and slammed it behind him. Right after, loud crashes, bangs, and angry screams resounded from the small room and the general made a move to go take the teen down.

Batman stopped him from doing so and merely said "It's not worth it."

As Danny continued to angrily destroy the storage closet, Batman walked over to the computer the teen had used and looked through what Danny had. He grimaced at the results. "I've haven't seen the Dark-Net this disorganized since… Actually, I've never seen the Dark-Net this disorganized period."

Just as Batman straightened, Danny kicked the door open and slammed it behind him again. He dropped the pieces of his broken handcuffs to the floor and yelled "Don't you _ever_ touch my network again, _you brain-dead morons_!"

Danny stalked over to his computer, fell into the seat, and began to type furiously on the computer again. He mumbled insults and swears under his breath as he worked to put everything he had made back together again, fixing glitches and mending rifts.

General Olsen, who had been stunned at Danny's yell, angrily stated "You can't come in here, disregard orders, and insult tech geniuses."

Danny laughed sarcastically as he connected a laptop to the computer he was currently on and said "I just did and your so-called geniuses are a bunch of idiots."

"Boy, I'm gonna-"

"You're gonna what? I've dealt with other high level assassins. What could you possibly do-? GAH!"

Danny shot Batman a murderous glare while he pointed to the trail mix the adult had just stuffed in his mouth, the snack coming from the adult's backpack. The Dark Knight's annoyed expression looked down at his sort-of ward without any mercy. "I was shutting you up before you made things worse. That mouth of yours is going to bring around the Apocalypse at this rate."

The teen swallowed the food in his mouth and stated "No. Flappy-Bird will. That game is going to anger a bunch of countries and they're going to launch missiles at each other."

Batman pointed to the computers and set the bag of trail mix he had on the table so Danny could help himself. "Just work."

The reluctant teen growled, slouched in his seat, and began working like he was told to. He still mumbled under his breath about how much he hated the government but it was more subdued. He occasionally stuffed a handful of trail mix in his mouth because he was hungry.

Batman ventured up beside the general, who remained ticked off. The Dark Knight placed a hand on his shoulder and said "It's much easier to keep him happy and quiet than win a fight against him. I know from personal experience."

"I can't believe you idiots messed with the black market deals like that! Seriously! That should have been the easiest thing for you brain-donors to work on! I should just kill you all right now!"

"Like he could kill us…" Olsen mumbled.

Batman shrugged. "Just don't give him a gun."

"Give me a gun!" Danny shouted over his shoulder before stuffing his mouth full of trail mix. Batman rolled his eyes and watched as one of the more nervous techies slowly scuttled over to the closet, thinking about peeking inside.

"Don't go in the closet! I kinda knocked some shelves over." Danny called, looking over his shoulder to look at the techie. The nervous figure shrunk under the blue-eyed gaze and Danny smirked at him. Batman walked up behind the boy and smacked him again.

"OW!"

"Work." Batman instructed.

"I'm working! I'm working! Calm yourself!" Danny stated defensively. He sunk in his seat and began typing again, becoming semi-absorbed in his work as he watched Batman leave his line of sight. Danny sighed to himself before focusing completely on the system before him.

After the Dark Knight left him in peace, Danny worked quietly and calmly. It amazed General Olsen since he hadn't seen the teen so stilled before. Even when traveling over to the complex, people had reported that the teen had been jittery and agitated. He also apparently found joy in ticking others off as well when he was bored and nothing occupied his time.

Batman gestured to the teen Olsen was staring at. He quietly, so not to break the teen's train of thought, said "See. Keep him happy and he stays quiet."

They watched as Danny felt around the table, trying to find the bag of trail mix with nothing more than his hand since everything else was focused on doing whatever it was he was doing. His hand eventually found the bag and he scooped out some of the peanuts, raisins, and candy. He put the food to his mouth but most of it missed and fell to his lap. He chewed on what he got in his mouth, unaware of the food he had dropped.

"He also gets sloppy." Olsen muttered sarcastically.

Batman sighed. "But at least he's not running his mouth."

"And for that, I thank the Lord for this glorious moment of peace."

* * *

Danny dumped the last of the trail mix in his mouth and frowned at the empty bag. He looked between his computer screen and the Dark Knight, whom stood next to him quietly. Danny batted his eyes and asked "Do you got anymore food in that bag of yours?"

"You're still hungry after six granola bars and two bags of trail mix?" Batman asked him, almost expectantly.

Danny smiled cutely and extended his hands. He made a grabby gesture at his handler.

Batman rolled his eyes but dug through his backpack. He roughly put a box of Lucky Charms on the table. On the front, the words 'Family Size!' were in big letters, bringing even more attention to the huge box.

Danny brightened and tore the box open, putting a handful of the marshmallows and cereal in his mouth. He went back to work contently, occasionally scooping out cereal to feed his hungry stomach. Happy for the time being, Danny went back to working and left the Dark Knight alone.

Batman watched Danny for a few minutes more before growing tired of observing and walking off to stand beside General Olsen, who was also being unusually quiet.

"That kid is a pig." Olsen commented.

"Heard that!" Danny yelled but didn't seem too phased by the insult.

Batman and Olsen rolled their eyes. The Dark Knight stated "He's not usually this hungry. He just hasn't eaten much in awhile."

"And by 'not eaten much', he means I haven't eaten at all." Danny called sarcastically.

"Will you concentrate on your work?"

"I'm almost done anyways! It doesn't matter how much how much I pay attention right now! Nothing can go wrong!"

"Don't get too cocky." Batman stated dryly.

Danny laughed long and sarcastically in response.

"How can he almost be done? It's only been an hour and it took my guys an entire day to get in the network." Olsen asked.

Danny's laughing increased in volume while Batman rolled his eyes. "It's his network. He knows the ins and outs better than anyone. It wouldn't take too much time for him to shut it down. … You did shut it down, right Danny?"

"Yeah. I shut it down." Danny answered.

Batman narrowed his eyes at the teen. "Are you _sure_?"

"Yes I'm _sure_!"

* * *

Danny fell into the seat in front of the desk he would use temporarily. He was currently in a tiny room Olsen had provided for him. The general said he'd stay there for the night before Danny was shipped out to Gotham, where Batman would keep an eye on him. The Dark Knight was already gone and had left the teen with strict instructions not to kill anyone or destroy anything.

As the boy opened the laptop he had been supplied with, Danny brought up the Dark-Net on the screen, making sure to hide his movements from the censored device. He chuckled to himself and mumbled "Yeah Bats… Of course I destroyed the Dark-Net. Because I've always listened to you so well, haven't I?"

* * *

**Because Danny has always been so obedient before, right guys?**

**Reviews:**

**KainVixenheim: You tried to insult me? Whoops. Didn't even notice that. XD Yeah, we can be friends again~!**

**Allietheepic7: Go Clocky! :D**

**KuriMaster13: That is true. That is very true. :D Danny's gonna live! Yeah~!**

**Grava: You can ask him. I don't know if he'll do it or not. XD**

**YumiStar: *dies laughing at the thought***

**BrownHair2918: I left with a cliffhanger cause I thought it'd be funny. :3 I'm a horrible person.**

**16ckelman: Yeah life~! Aw, I feel ya and the sister thing.**

**Guest of Honor: HA! I enjoyed his last words too~! And Bats is gonna _try_ and change Danny. We'll see how that goes though.**

**SFN: Hm... That's an idea. Don't know if I'll use it cause it doesn't quite fit what I've got going but I can try?**

**Abazaba: I wouldn't call him "good" by any means... Not at all... XD**

**ShadowPillow: XD Of course I mean stories~! I wouldn't actually kill someone (maybe)! Glad you're enjoying! Brings me joy! :D**

**Roselin: :3 Wuv you too~! Glad you enjoyed~!**

**Scheffelman: No. I've been busy.**

**Chicaalterego: :D That would be cool! Though I'm not quite sure how that would work cause Danny is very happy being anti-good. *.***

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: Yeah for life~!**

**Poohbearmorris: XD You almost puked? Sweet. **

**Bibbledoo: No. Not GIW. But close. XD Yeah unicorns~! I'm just kidding. I hate unicorns. They are not ghost proof but he's still got the inhibitor bracelet.**

**Ninuhuju: XD I love that saying! You continue saying that!**

**H. H. Xia: Yeah violent-ness, right? XD**

**Eirena Gaia: Why do you read that early in the morning? SLEEP DUDE. The story can wait! :D**

**Sarra Torrens: Thank you, thank you! :D**

**Shadow: Ah, you're welcome. It's an awesome book. :D Aw, thanks so much! I didn't feel up to killing Danny so, yeah, not taking that route. XD I can manipulate emotions? YES!**


	21. Witness Protection

Ch.21: Witness Protection

Batman perked when his computer alerted him to a call. He was a little surprised though. Not many people called him and he was unaware of any world-crises going on. The Dark Knight picked it up with his ever-stoic face and hid the small bit of surprise he got when General Olsen appeared on his screen.

Batman didn't think the general would ever use the number he gave him.

"General." Batman greeted. "Is there something you need?"

"Do you know where that little pest is?" Olsen questioned, eyes narrowed at him in suspicion.

The Dark Knight raised an eyebrow. "And by 'pest', you mean Danny, correct?"

"_Yes_. Who else would I be talking about?"

"I don't know. But no, I currently am unaware of Danny's whereabouts. I thought you were scoping out an apartment where you could keep tabs on him." Batman answered.

Olsen growled. "We did give him an apartment. But one of the troops was doing a routine check to make he was in there but he was _gone_. We thought _you_ might have something to do with it."

The Dark Knight shook his head. "I haven't and wouldn't have taken him anywhere without your permission. Danny got out all on his own."

"_Wonderful_."

Batman rolled his eyes. "When was this routine check of yours?"

"Half an hour ago." Olsen answered, very irked to have someone under his watchful eye disappear.

"And when was the routine check before the most recent?" Batman asked.

"We have one every two hours. There's a troop stationed in another room down the hall from his, which is why the checks are so widespread." Olsen explained.

"Didn't you give him a laptop?" Batman asked.

Olsen nodded. "We did and we've already tried tracking it five times. Nothing comes up. He's off our radar."

Batman sighed, annoyed.

"The bright side is that he's only got a two hour head-start. With the inhibitor bracelet on, he can't get too far and he's easily recognized since his face was posted all over the media a month ago. Danny can't exactly walk down the street without being noticed. Something should show up soon." Batman assured.

Olsen nodded before saying "I would appreciate it if you keep your own eye out for the maggot. We barely captured him last time and the guys I've got searching for him aren't coming up with anything."

"Understood. I'll watch out for him and see if anything turns up anywhere." Batman stated, ready to cut the connection.

"Wait."

Batman stared up at the general expectantly.

"If you find him, make sure he knows if he does something like this again, he's going to be right back where he started." Olsen stated, voice firm and no nonsense.

Batman, knowing the general meant death row, nodded but was tense. "I'll make sure he knows."

"Good." Olsen said before he cut the connection first.

Batman sighed before he walked towards his vehicle of choice.

Why was Danny so irritating?

* * *

The Dark Knight gazed over the apartment complex Danny had been setup in but had abandoned. Or, at least, everyone thought he had abandoned it. For all they knew, he could be somewhere inside the building and everyone was searching in all the wrong places.

Looking over the records for the complex, Batman found that a few people had checked out that morning while others had checked in. Only four checking ins were in the two hours between Danny's routine checks. One of them was even down the hall from Danny's room.

Batman crossed that one off his list. The teen wouldn't be stupid enough to rent an apartment right next to a soldier's.

That left three rooms. One was on the top-most floor, another was a floor below his original level, and the last was on the ground level. The question now was which would Danny choose?

The top floor room had a very high price and was advertised as 'luxurious'. That one was immediately crossed off the list. The one on the floor below the original floor Danny had been in wasn't anything special but it was apparently bigger than a couple of other apartments. That was crossed off as well, since Danny didn't believe in excess space.

That left the ground floor. It was a little bigger than most apartments but not as huge as any of the others. It was also rather dull, which would suit the teen rather nicely.

Batman swung over to the ground floor window that had a wonderful view of the alleyway. The curtains were shut unevenly over the window and the Dark Knight could see that it was unlocked. Loud music was muffled by the glass.

The Caped Crusader surmised that the teen was an _idiot_ sometimes.

Opening the window quietly, Batman moved the curtains aside and looked in. The music immediately met his ears and he was vaguely surprised it was techno instead of the teen's usual heavy metal.

Danny was sitting at a small table with his back to the window. He had a toolbox in front of him and various tools were scattered about him. The stereo the teen was using sat on a counter in the dinky kitchenette in the apartment. Unlike at his other places, Danny had all the lights flipped on and the simple laptop he had received from Olsen was sitting on a coffee table, open but blank.

Batman slipped in and closed the window behind him, quietly closing the curtains over the window again. He walked up behind the teen and Danny's blue eyes immediately traveled up to meet his in his hilarious position.

Danny was trying to get the inhibitor bracelet off. One screwdriver was pointed down into the circuitry and being held in place by Danny's teeth. His free hand, as the other was out of commission for the moment, held a pair of thin pliers that were playing with a couple of wires. His blue eyes looked like a deer in a headlight.

The Dark Knight stared at Danny's way of working dryly. He asked "Are you having fun?"

"Pwease hep mah." Danny asked, batting his eyes. His words were slurred and muffled by the screwdriver in his teeth. He smiled hopefully up at the Dark Knight.

"I'm not quite sure I want to."

"Pwease~." Danny whined.

"That would be aiding a felon."

Danny scoffed to the best of his abilities before he said something about Batman having done that already, many times too. The Dark Knight retorted that Danny was a now federal problem though and that he didn't mess with the government. Danny replied with a muffled 'are you kidding me?' and a 'come on, it itches'.

Batman rolled his eyes before relenting and holding the screwdriver in place. Danny opened his jaw and retracted from the tool. He looked over the Dark Knight's hand and into the bracelet's circuitry before playing with the pliers, maneuvering some of the wires around and snipping others in half.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Batman asked.

Danny shrugged. "Not really. I'm winging it."

"And if this doesn't work?"

"I'm having my hand cut off and replaced with a scythe. How cool would that be?"

Batman sighed. "That would not be cool by any means."

"I _know_. I was _joking_. Calm yourself." Danny replied, staring intently into the bracelet's insides. He snipped another wire and the green sections of the inhibitor dulled and turned off. Danny yelled "A-ha!" and threw his pliers hand in the air victoriously.

"It's still stuck to your hand." Batman stated, putting the screwdriver down and pointing to the bracelet still locked around Danny's wrist.

The teen nodded and said "I know. But I can do this, at least."

Danny his wrist intangible and the bracelet fell from the limb and clattered to the table. Some of the broken wires spilled from the open panel in the bracelet and fell onto the table as well. A few pieces of metal scattered about also.

Batman picked up the bracelet and studied the damage. "You turned this into nothing but a piece of scrap. That's amazing in a clumsy way."

Danny smiled. "But it's off. So it worked."

Batman rolled his eyes again before replacing the damaged piece of equipment down on the table again. Turning to the teen, he asked "Is there a reason you're hiding from the people that are giving you a second chance?"

"And by 'second chance', you mean keeping me as a glorified prisoner right?" Danny asked sarcastically and shook his head.

"They're making sure you try to reform." Batman stated.

Danny scoffed. "Breathing down my neck 24/7 only makes me want to do more illegal things just to tick them off and to see if I can get away with it! And I know I can because I stole that toolbox from the shop across the street last night!"

"You did what now?"

"Uh… Nothing."

"_Danny_…"

"_Anyways_, it was getting uncomfortable! So I snuck off. Technically I'm still within their boundaries. They just don't know that." Danny answered, smiling nervously.

Batman did have to give him that. Being watched constantly _was_ irritating and Danny was only a few floors away from his original apartment. And for someone like Danny, that kind of attention was like saying "I challenge you to break the law without me catching you."

The Dark Knight looked around the room, willing to let Danny win that fight, when he spotted the blaring stereo. He pointed at it and asked "Did you steal that too?"

Danny gave that nervous smile of his and responded "I'm not going to answer that for fear of getting slapped."

Batman thwacked him upside the head anyways, earning a loud yelp in return. Danny glowered up at him and mumbled some nasty words under his breath.

"On another note," Danny started, still rubbing his head while he scowled. "can we keep this just between you and me? They find out I'm only three levels down, those horrendous routine checks are going to start and I'm going to go insane. I didn't answer the door for one of those checks cause I was in the shower and a bunch of armed soldiers busted into the room as if I was holding a hostage or something."

Batman mulled over the answer, silently laughing hysterically about that _unfortunate_ encounter. "As long as you let me keep tabs on you so I can report your whereabouts to Olsen, I will."

"How often are these tabs going to be taken?" Danny asked.

"Just call me once a day and you'll be fine." Batman answered.

Danny groaned. "But that means I have to remember to do it~!"

"Do you want to call me or do you want a soldier breaking down your door every two hours?"

Danny glowered further and answered "I'll call you…"

Batman smirked and said "Good dog."

"Aw _heck no_! I am _no one's_ pet, fool! Get over here so I can sock you in the head!"

* * *

Batman waited patiently for Olsen to pick up. He drummed his fingers on the table in front of him absently to cure his boredom. On the fifth ring, the general picked up and looked expectantly at the Dark Knight, as if he had been waiting for the call since Batman had decided to call him half an hour earlier.

"Batman." Olsen greeted.

The Caped Crusader nodded and plainly said "Olsen."

"Have you found the little maggot?"

Batman nodded again and answered "I have."

Olsen waited expectantly for the Dark Knight to hand over the info. "And where is he?"

"He's under wraps." Batman answered vaguely.

Olsen shot him an irritated expression. "And that would be _where_?"

"It would be in a location I know. He's not doing anything outside the law so you don't have to be worried about that." Batman answered, excluding the little excursions Danny took to grab a stereo and a toolbox.

"I would appreciate it if you told me _where _he is."

Danny's face appeared on the screen and he waved. "Don't worry, you big hypocrite! I'm in a _better place_ now."

Olsen growled at the teen and sternly asked "Where are your coordinates?"

"Calm down, Olsen! Yeesh! You're going to grey prematurely! I'm on 187 Never Gonna Happen Lane." Danny answered sarcastically, smiling cruelly and holding up one of his thumbs. He batted his eyes cutely and tilted his head obliviously.

Olsen slammed his hand down on the table in front of him and started shooting off a list of swears while Batman sighed and shook his head in exaggeration. Danny listened with a stunned face.

Once the general was done, he glared at the teen heatedly while breathing heavily.

Danny began clapping sarcastically, that stunned look still on his face. "Wow! I haven't heard such a colorful vocabulary in years! That is one heck of a mouth you got there, General! Ever thought about becoming a sailor because you'd fit right in!"

"Boy, when I get my hands on you, I'm going to-"

"Ok, that's enough from both of you. Thank you Danny for insulting your superior and General, you should just think of this as witness protection. Danny being the witness…" Batman trailed, looking between the two with an exaggerated expression.

"He is my responsibility and I need to know where my responsibility is at all times! Now give me your coordinates right now!" The general yelled.

"Olsen, he's _my_ responsibility now. He always was. I know where he is and what he's doing. That should be enough." Batman stated, glaring at Olsen.

The general took a few calming breathes before hissing "The first sign he's done something outside the law, he's getting put right back on death row, _understood_?"

"Understood." Batman answered.

Olsen nodded before cutting his connection. Batman turned his steely eyes towards Danny's face.

The teen looked at him confused. "What?"

"Is there something you wanted?" Batman hissed.

"You told me to call you so I did! I thought that deal started today! Sue me if I didn't know he was calling you too!" Danny responded.

"I _know_ you knew he was already talking to me." Batman stated.

"…ok _fine_ but I didn't mean to show my face. I accidently pressed the wrong button and wallah! Here I am!" Danny replied, frowning.

Batman took a breath and said "Thank you for calling. I'll talk to you tomorrow morning, alright?"

Danny nodded before waving and cutting the connection. The Dark Knight fell in his seat while rubbing his face, wondering why he got stuck with all the strange people.

* * *

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: _Senrod2, LARIEN-BLACK, WhoCares97, Ummmmmno530, DarkRaptor4._**

**Reviews:**

**KuriMaster13: :D Thank you~!**

**Scheffelman: Yeah, pretty much.**

**Guest of Honor: I hate fireball candy... They suck. All that stuff might appear, we'll see.**

**Chicaalterego: Hm, that could work. But with how many times I've dimension-hopped, I'm starting to lose my mind. Wonderful. XD **

**KainVixenheim: I'll think of a prank or revenge scheme later. I'm tired right now. You know Danny can annoy people.**

**Roselin: There's nothing wrong with that! XD Glad you enjoyed!**

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: Danny wouldn't dare! XD**

**The Keeper of World: Thank you, I try! XD Yeah Dark-Net!**

**Expergiscimini: XD Have fun with that.**

**Kimori Takahashi: Batman might be able to do something about him! We'll have to see. XD**

**YumiStar: I know, right? Dang it, Batsy. Look what you're doing!**

**Poohbearmorris: XD I'm so happy I made you laugh! And Danny wouldn't dare kill his baby!**

**Sarra Torrens: Knew someone would appreciate that. XD**

**Ninuhuju: They thought he'd listen with the thought of death over his head. :)**

**Shadow: Aw, thanks! And I thoroughly appreciate the tidbit of info that you gave me~! XD**

**H. H. Xia: Nope. Because he's Danny like that. XD**

**Bibbledoo: It's totally deadweight. Poor Batsy.**

**Eirena Gaia: THE STORY CAN WAIT. TRUST ME. XD I'm glad you finally understand!**

**Grava: Danny hides. "What did I do?!"**

**Random Person: Because he's Batman. Yeah for Danny~!**

**Guest(1): Uh-huh! XD**

**Allietheepic7: That would be Danny for ya. XD**


	22. Appearances

Ch.22: Appearances

Danny stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, tilting his head this way and that. In quiet contemplation, he wondered how he'd change things up. The grey jacket he'd had forever hung on his shoulders loosely. Black sweat-pants were dull and turning into a lighter shade of ebony on his legs.

All in all, he looked almost exactly like he did the first time he went to Area 51. The only exception was that that day he had worn jeans instead of old sweats.

Danny wondered how he was going to get permission to even buy new clothes. It wasn't exactly like he had a disguise to do so in. He's probably walk out onto the street and then- BAM! –he'd be squirming under a dozen soldiers, all of which were still trying to find him. Even after the video-chat with the Dark Knight, Olsen was still trying to drag his butt back to the apartment three floors above him.

Olsen _really_ didn't like him… But he _really_ didn't like Olsen either…

Danny sighed, turning his icy blue eyes to the laptop sitting on the coffee table. He couldn't see it but he knew the Dark-Net was up and running like never before.

Being restricted to an apartment because he didn't want to get caught by the government (again) left Danny with a lot of time to make new updates and create new sections of the Dark-Net that hadn't previously been thought off.

Danny knew he could easily go out any time and use his ghost powers to get around but it, honestly, just wasn't the same as walking outside and strolling down the streets.

The only time he talked to anyone was when he talked to Batman over video-chat at the end of the day. Danny tried to prolong his chats with the Dark Knight for as long as possible because most of his days were boring in an almost depressing way.

The teen had been able to get a hold of Sam and Tucker once, earlier in the week. The boy had tried contacting them a dozen times after but they had yet to pick up and talk to him again. It confused Danny since the one and only time he had talked to them, they were fine and relived. He had yet to find out where they went.

Danny sighed to himself before walking out of the bathroom and falling on the couch again. He dragged his laptop into his lap and began going through a mental checklist he had created for himself when he decided to check his systems.

It was the fifth time he did it that day.

Just as he was about to buy a pet off the American black market so he could have a buddy, there was a knock at his window. Danny immediately assumed it was Batman because the Dark Knight always crawled through his window and Danny had soon learned to keep it locked at all times _because_ of Batman. As the teen got up, he grabbed his water bottle off the table. As he put the opening to his mouth and tilted his head up, Danny drew his curtains back to look out the window.

Then he promptly did a spit-take all over his nice, clean window and began coughing up a lung.

Sam beamed at him from behind the pane, waving her hand. Tucker had been waving beside her but Danny's reaction sent him into a fit of laughter, hand over his eyes and pointing at his friend's absolutely stunned face and reaction.

Danny's coughing fit calmed and, eyes wide, he wandered off to his puny kitchenette. He grabbed a towel, ventured back to the window, and wiped off all the water he had just spit all over it. He blatantly ignored his friends, whom both continued on with their greetings: Sam waving and Tucker laughing his butt off.

After throwing the towel in a cabinet to be soon forgotten, Danny walked back over, unlocked his window, and opened it. The two teens stuck there heads through and Sam sang a warm "Surprise~!"

Tucker's mocking laughter continued on.

"Is there a reason you two decided to suddenly show up at my window after not speaking to me for a week?" Danny asked, putting his hands on the sill, leaning forward, and looking down at his two friends' faces with an annoyed look.

"Sam wanted to make it a surprise." Tucker stated, shrugging as he called and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Sam beamed. "I also wanted to make you suffer."

"_Why?_"

Sam grabbed Danny's shirt and dragged him down to her level. "You almost got yourself killed, Boy! Why didn't you see the troops?! Why, Danny, why!?"

"She's been worried." Tucker commented, shrugging nonchalantly. The cocoa-skinned teen pulled himself fully through the window and landed roughly on the floor with a small _thud_. He quickly got up on his feet again, dusting himself off.

Danny pulled Sam fully through the window and then promptly dropped her on the floor. Sam glared up at him while Danny laughed. The ebony-haired girl grabbed his ankle and pulled _hard_. Danny yelped as he went down and landed on his side in front of the girl.

Tucker cackled at the two before he was pulled _back_ onto the floor beside the two. He glared at Sam and Danny's grinning faces.

The ebony-haired boy got up first and asked the two below him. "Alright, now that we got our little rivalry over and done with, how _the heck_ did you find me? Only Batsy knows where I am and I'm pretty sure you guys haven't talked to him in awhile."

"We knew you were in Gotham." Tucker stated, also getting up from the ground with his female friend. "We just didn't know where _in_ Gotham."

"And finding you was a _pain_." Sam commented, shaking her head.

"I'm me. What do you expect?" Danny asked sarcastically, grinning at the thought of his friends not being able to find him.

Tucker stuck his tongue out and said "Anyways… I had to do some serious tracking over the Dark-Net to find where you were holed up because when I hacked into the government, apparently they just _lost_ you. And the only one who knows where you were was…"

"Batman." Sam said, shrugging in a way that said she knew that would have been the answer anyways.

Danny made a face. "He's Bats. If you think you can hide from him, you're in for a _big_ surprise, buddy."

"We know." Tucker and Sam stated together. Danny grinned while he got up and got his drink, taking another sip.

"So~… Have you done anything recently?" Tucker asked curiously.

Danny grimaced. "I've done nothing. Nope. Nada. Zilch."

Sam slapped a hand to Danny's forehead, sporting a worried look while the boy gave her an irritated glance. "Are you ok? You don't just do nothing. Oh my gosh, _are you even Danny_?"

The teen in question shoved Sam's hand away and stated "Yes, I'm Danny, you brain-dead corpse."

Sam and Tucker smiled at each other relieved.

"He's still Danny." Tucker commented, making Sam laugh under her breath.

Danny glared at them, not amused in the slightest. "I probably would've done something more productive with my time if I had been allowed to go _outside_. I can't do that without possibly getting mauled by a bunch of US troops."

"You could always go outside dressed as a girl again." Tucker stated, giggling and quickly dodging to the side and out of the way of a lamp Danny had thrown at him.

Sam snorted, laughing as well and taking cover with Tucker.

"We agreed never to talk about that again!" Danny yelled, pointing at his two friends who had ducked behind his counter.

Sam and Tucker peeked over the counter, grinning, and the girl said "No, you _made_ us agree to never speak of it against our will. That doesn't count."

Danny slapped a hand over his face and groaned. His two friends gave him a thumbs up.

Sam stood up and strode over to Danny's small bedroom. She rummaged through his stuff, making her two guy friends look at each other out of the corner of their eyes questioningly. Sam strolled out of the boy's bedroom again and dumped a change of clothes in his arms before shoving a grey and black beanie over his head and eyes. Danny slipped the hat from his blue eyes while Sam pointed to the bathroom. The ebony-haired boy rolled his eyes before trudging off to do as told.

Tucker just snorted at the whole ordeal.

Danny walked back out of the bathroom after changing into a pair of dark-washed jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black jacket over the whole thing with some black boots. The beanie was still over his head and pulled down over his ears. He gave his friend a questioning look.

"Alright. Let's go out." Sam said and she headed for the door. Tucker stumbled after her, not ready for her to give a command so quickly.

Danny stared after the two, stunned. "Are you _nuts_?!"

Sam peeked back into the room and stated "No. All it takes is a little wardrobe change and a new accessory to throw anybody off someone else's trail. One time, someone was chasing me and all I did was shrug off my jacket, tie it around my waist, and put on some shades. Idiots ran right past me."

Danny looked at himself and asked "Are you sure about this?"

"Yep." Sam said, popping the 'p'. "Just keep your head mostly down in a non-suspicious way and you'll go places."

"And by places, you mean jail?"

Tucker stuck his head back in as well and whined "Come on, Danny. If you get caught, you'll just sneak out again anyways. It's not like it's too big of a problem for you."

Danny shrugged before following his two friends out of the apartment. He made sure to keep his head down near the cameras but made a show of having fun with his two friends for the video-feed. They walked out onto the open sidewalk and turned down the street, heading for the mall.

Much to their amusement, they walked right past a couple of troops, who looked right at them and waved halfway to their destination.

As they got to Gotham City Mall, they walked in and joined the throng of people in the large structure: teens hanging out for the day with their friends, older women catching up with their old buddies, parents watching their kids as they walked around, and the occasional loner who sat reading on a bench or people-watching from their spot.

The three teens, blending in with all the other high-school seniors, went to the nearest shop so Danny could get a new 'disguise' for the time being.

After deciding on a dark blue t-shirt with a black vest over and black jeans, the three teens bought the outfit with a couple of others like it before they went off to pig out in the food court. There they caught up on what the others has missed in the last month, as they all had been busy doing their own thing: Danny trying to escape jail, Sam fretting over her friend, and Tucker attempting to bribe officials into letting his buddy walk free without success.

Sam and Tucker were captivated and amused by the story of Area 51. Even though everyone in the underworld pretty much knew it existed because of a wonderful something called _hacking_, someone had yet to find schematics for the complex or what they did there. The government was, at least, smart enough not to record that stuff on computers or put it on a hack-able server.

Danny also told them about his supposed "reform" he had to do. He told his friends that the government sucked at making sure he didn't do anything illegal and that Batman was receiving more progress by simply standing next to him sometimes, when he decided to watch Danny quietly. The teen said he hadn't really changed sides yet, standing in the middle as an anti-hero, and he had yet to figure out if he _could_ make a total reform.

Sam and Tucker shrugged uneasily, not too sure themselves about Danny's fate.

After they finished eating, the three went off and went to random stores for the fun of it. It wasn't everyday they got out of the house for something other than a job or a weekly catch up on work statuses and such. For once, they were just a bunch of normal teens who were being a bunch of idiots. They even paid Tucker to ride the carousel in the huge mall.

The cocoa-skinned boy chose the llama seat and flipped his friends off as he went around in a circle over and over again.

Tucker was thoroughly yelled at by all the moms watching from the sidelines.

Then Danny decided to be typical Danny and he and his friends broke into the mall's control room, knocking the guards out and throwing them in a storage closet.

As they shut the door, Danny pondered something.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You know… I never said sorry to Area 51's janitor for destroying his closet."

Tucker snorted before Danny shrugged and they moved on.

Falling into the main control's seat, Danny cracked his knuckles before looking over the controls. He pressed the intercom button and the three watched as everyone looked around, ready to hear whatever announcement was about to be made.

Looking over the security cameras, Danny stopped on one of the groups of teens and zoomed in on them. Leaning over into the mic, he said "You there."

They watched as the teens looked every which way, as well as all the other occupants of the mall.

"No. You. Right there." Danny stated, smiling as people continued to look around confused. Sam and Tucker cracked up behind him. Danny sent them a questioning look over his shoulder and Tucker pointed to one of the teens wearing a red shirt. Danny leaned forward, a bit more towards the microphone and said "Red shirt. Flaming skull thingy. Jeans."

The boy's friends looked at the teen with wide eyes while the boy looked around wildly.

Danny continued on, saying "Skull Boy. …would you join my army of the undead?"

Sam and Tucker laughed behind their hands behind him while the boy slumped, completely and utterly confused.

* * *

Danny laid on his couch, content to just watch TV for the time being. It was eleven o'clock at night and he had yet to go to bed. For the moment, he was happy just watching a bunch of cop shows like Stalker, Person of Interest, and Criminal Minds while he lounged around.

Sam and Tucker had left just a bit earlier, as they had rented a room because it had taken a few days after getting to Gotham to find Danny and they refused to sleep in a refrigerator box under one of the underpasses. They were getting their money's worth from that motel (ignoring the fact the money was _stolen_ and all…).

As one of the repeats started up, Danny picked up his laptop and set it in his lap, over the blanket he had draped around him. He pressed a code sequence before the laptop began to automatically call someone.

The words 'Calling: Batsy' flashed across the screen repeatedly.

Danny waited four rings before the Dark Knight answered and looked at the clock. "You were pushing it today, weren't you?"

"I went out and got back a few hours ago. And there was a special on TV so I kinda wanted to watch that instead of talk to you." Danny practically insulted, shrugging casually.

Batman rolled his eyes before saying "I heard about your little excursion to the mall…"

"You did?"

"Yes… The news is having a field day berating the poor security guards that were locked in a closet by a couple of teenagers who asked people publically if they had unicorns, heard voices, or if some of them were high because, and your words were, 'dang, you look like you've been smoking some _crack_, man'." Batman stated dryly, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly.

Danny smiled. "Good times, right there."

Batman rolled his eyes and said "Olsen wants your head on a pike."

"Did you tell him it was me?!"

"I didn't _have_ to tell him. He heard the recordings and recognized the way you insulted some people as the way you insult him."

Danny hummed. "Do I insult him that much?"

Batman stared dryly at the teen. "Yes."

"Good." Danny commented, giving a sarcastic thumbs up.

Batman sighed, long and loud with his hand over his face. "I'm going to assume the other two with you were Sam and Tucker."

"Yeppers. They tracked me down and we had a blast." Danny responded, smiling at the wonderful memories they had made that day.

It had been wonderful _for them_, anyways.

"Outstanding." Batman commented.

Danny grinned. "Yeah. Well since you know how my day went, I'm-a gonna go now. TV to watch and sleep to catch up on and all."

Batman nodded before saying "Talk to you tomorrow."

"Talk to you then." Danny responded before he hung up and shut his laptop. He placed it on his desk and leaned back, snuggling into his blanket contently and smiling at the TV like a school-boy seeing a pretty girl for the first time ever.

* * *

**Wonderfulness, right? *sarcasm implied* You guys are just gonna _love me_ next chapter.**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: ****_ZeAwsumOtaku._**

**Reviews:**

**KuriMaster: Danny is Danny so... XD**

**Eirena Gaia: Sleep. Seriously. Glad you enjoyed, that general is weird! XD Hope you feel better soon!**

**KainVixenheim: Pay him and he will. XD That's pleasant.**

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: XD I know what you're talking about. He can be that way a lot, don't you think?**

**Scheffelman: Trust me. I know.**

**Astroshadow: Danny? Behave? That's hilarious. XD**

**Sarra Torrens: He _definitely_ needs a big, old Gibb slap. :D**

**H. H. Xia: Danny's messed up that way. Not much we can do about it. XD**

**Guest of Honor: Yeah, well, when you have a crafty child in your hands, you go a little crazy when making sure he's still there. XD**

**Roselin: XD I'm-a so happy you enjoyed~! I love making people smile and laugh!**

**Shadow: I don't know if I'm going to have Clockwork show up physically. We'll have to see. XD Probably from a sailor's family, right? I surpassed your expectations? ...SWEET!**

**YumiStar: I think we're all with Danny on this one! XD**

**Chicaalterego: I loved the idea but I've done so many dimension-hopping things, it's becoming a pain to write. Go ahead and knock yourself out with your own stories though! XD **

**Angela: Ok, that's painful. But glad I could make your day!**

**Ninuhuju: That does suck. Your DJ sucks. Sorry bout that.**

**Bibbledoo: The Robins were mentioned (briefly) back in ch.4. So they're here, we just don't see them. I actually despise poetry cause I suck at it. *.***

**ZeAwsumOtaku: XD Aw, thanks so much dude! That means a ton to me! And the Robins were mentioned very briefly back in ch.4 but I don't think I'm gonna put them in. *shrugs* But so happy you're enjoying!**

**Grava: You don't say... XD**

**The Keeper of Worlds: ...irony...**

**HalfaWitchPsychicGirl: XD Aw, glad I could lift your spirits! Makes me so happy to make others happy!**

**SweetyKinz: DUDE. YOUR REVIIEWS ALWAYS FRIKKIN MAKE MY DAY. ALWAYS. *hugs you tightly***


	23. Do You Want That?

Ch.23: Do You Want That?

Batman crawled in the window, as always, and quickly scanned the dark room for the one that lived there. He quickly spotted Danny lying on the couch, sleeping peacefully. The teen's laptop sat quietly on the coffee-table in front of him. A fluffy blanket was over his body and half his face was buried in a pillow. One of his hands was tucked under his cheek while the other was wrapped around his chest. Danny's lips were slightly parted, breathing through his mouth. His body rose and fell with each breathe he took.

If anything, Danny looked kind of… cute. But Batman wouldn't allow himself to think that way so he dismissed the thoughts about leaving the teen be and exiting the apartment, walking towards the slumbering teen with a purpose.

Gently, Batman rested a hand on Danny's upper-arm and shook him just a little. "Danny."

The teen, as most would, took a deep breath in his sleep as he moved onto his stomach, slipping his arms under the pillow and burying his face within the fluffiness. The breath eased from his lungs slowly and he stilled, content to lay like that in his sleep.

Batman rolled his eyes and moved his hands to glide across Danny's back. He gently shook him, calling the teen's name again. Danny remained still and quiet (which, in his case, was a blessing directly sent from the Good Lord above).

The Dark Knight rolled his eyes as Danny slept through his calls and shakes. It was the one time he actually _needed_ the teen and he wasn't waking up. _Figures._

Irritated and in a hurry, Batman smacked the back of Danny's head and yelled his name, a little loud but not loud enough that the neighbors would awake.

Danny finally stirred and he turned his bleary head to the side, looking up at the wide awake Batman with drooping eyes. He groaned upon seeing his handler and threw the blanket over his head, snuggling deep into the uncomfortable couch and the wonderful blanket and pillow he was using. Easily, Danny began slipping into sleep again, the black tendrils of oblivion pulling him into its embrace.

Batman put both his hands on Danny's back and began shaking him hard. "Come on! Wake up, you lazy bum!"

"Leave me alone, you _sick, nocturnal creature_. Some of us _like_ sleep." Danny whined at him, trying to squirm away from the older's grasp but failing. He kicked his feet in exaggeration and let out a long groan when Batman continued to wake him up.

"_Batman_~! Leave me_ alone_~!" Danny whined.

The Dark Knight did not leave the boy alone. "I told you I need you."

"You're _Batman_! You don't _need_ anyone!"

Batman rolled his eyes. "There's a ghost problem and your powers would be much appreciated in stopping it."

Danny twisted onto his back and began kicking out at Batman. "It's just a ghost! It'll go away eventually! They always do! Now, please, _let me sleep_!"

The teen shifted onto his side, back to Batman, and threw his blanket over his head again. He snuggled deep into the couch, creating a cocoon around him with the different but soft fabrics around him. Danny groaned in pleasure when his assailant stopped his assault and left him be.

Batman, glaring at the teen, walked over to the door and leaned against the wall, hands crossed over his chest. Casually, he flipped the light switch on.

Danny's reaction was instantaneous.

"MY EYES! THE LIGHTS! OW! CRAP! CRAP-CRAP-CRAP-CRAP-CRAP! CRRAAPPP! WHO PUT THE ENTIRE FRIKKIN SUN IN MY ROOM!?"

He screamed bloody murder, convulsing under his blankets while he tried to claw his eyes out. The teen kicked his blanket off, screeching at the top of his lungs, and began trying to hide his precious eyes from the burning light of the fluorescent bulbs above him.

The Dark Knight watched without any mercy and with a completely straight and irritated face. Not even Danny launching himself off the couch and rolling around on the ground made his irked aura disappear, watching the boy spazz mercilessly.

Danny finally stopped convulsing but remained on the ground, rubbing his eyes in a fruitless attempt to get them to stop hurting. Hesitantly, the boy finally dropped his hands and blinked multiple times to regain his sight back. He rubbed them again before moving his hands away, squinting as he looked around. Danny glared at Batman irritated while the Dark Knight stared at the boy with no emotion.

"That _hurt_." Danny stated, still squinting with a huge frown on his face.

In response, Batman smirked darkly at the teen, still leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Danny's glare continued and he asked "You're not gonna let me get out of this, are you?"

Batman shook his head, mouthing a long and sarcastic '_no-o-o_'. He pushed himself off the wall and walked into Danny's kitchenette, rummaging through some cabinets for something.

Danny didn't even bother to ask what he was doing. Instead, he said "I'm not going to be much help. I'm tired and my bed is literally calling to me and-"

_SPLASH!_

Batman had walked out of the kitchenette and threw a glass of water into Danny's face.

The teen only closed his eyes and frowned in response to the water being shot at his face. He remained sitting in his position as the water dripped off his chin and glided down his face. Blue eyes finally opened and wandered up to meet Batman's dark, smirking face.

_Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip… Patter, patter, patter, patter…_

"Are you fully awake now?" Batman asked, his dark smirk still playing on his lips.

Danny gave short nods in quick succession, tongue pressed firmly against the inside of his cheek as he nodded. "Yeah… I'm awake now…"

"_Good_." Batman stressed as he walked towards the window. "That means you'll be fine to tag along then."

Danny pushed himself off the ground with a grunt before he trudged after his cruel and sadistic handler. As he changed into his ghost form for the first time in forever and followed after, face and hair still soaking wet, he said "I'm killing you for that later."

Batman patted Danny's back in mock sympathy mumbling "Yeah, _yeah_…" before he pushed Danny through the window abruptly, sending Danny sprawling to the ground outside the window. Batman followed after and landed on his feet silently.

Danny shot a dirty glare up at his handler. "I hate you sometimes."

"I'm aware." Batman stated as Danny got up beside him. The Dark Knight grabbed his grapple, shot it, and took off. The teen followed behind, flying leisurely after his handler while he made sure his hood was safely on his head, shadowing his face so he couldn't be recognized.

Batman led the boy to the last site of the ghost with the teen looking over his shoulder bored.

Danny, as he looked over the wreckage with drooping eyes, spotted something that made his head tilt to the side with mild recognition. His brain tried to supply an answer for who the owner to the belonging, a green net, was. It took a couple of minutes, as his mind was still trying to process not being sleep anymore, but his tech-savvy brain finally came to a conclusion.

"Was the ghost a robot? With a green, flaming mohawk? Likes to call people degrading names like 'whelp'?" Danny asked the Dark Knight, giving the hero a dry and tired look.

Batman nodded once. "That was him."

"_Wonderful_… The ghost's name is Skulker. He's supposedly the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter but he honestly back the name up with evidence. He has killed a few rare creatures, I'll give him that, but I wouldn't say he was the best unless he killed you or something." Danny explained casually, waving his hand around.

The Dark Knight stared at Danny dryly. "_Thanks_."

Danny gave a sarcastic thumbs up before looking around again. "Skulker's really annoying and hates my guts-"

"Surprise, surprise." Batman stated sarcastically.

"-and refuses to let me stand in a room with his girlfriend alone."

Batman furrowed his brows and asked "_What?_"

Danny cackles in his signature fashion and replies "Skulker's got a girlfriend. She's hot but not my type. But I know he can be…_possessive_…so every time I see her, I hit on her just to tick him off. One time, he threw a knife at my head… Good times."

"How you're still alive amazes me."

"What can I say? I'm special like that."

Batman rolled his eyes and took a breath. "Moving on. Do you have any way you can track him?"

_BOOM._

Danny and Batman looked off into the distance, towards the sight of a small mushroom cloud rising into the sky. Flames danced under it, casting shadows across the black and grey clouds and streaking them crimson. It was a relatively small explosion but it was _still_ an explosion.

The white-haired teen looked up at his handler and sarcastically said "I have this power that makes the area around a ghost explode. I forgot to tell you about it but-"

_SMACK_.

"OW!"

"Please… _Shut up_." Batman stated while Danny stuck his tongue out at him. The two easily took off in the direction of the small explosion, one running and the other flying. In record time, they approached the sight and looked over the edge of the building.

It was a truck that had exploded. It seemed no one had been fatally injured but they had just gotten there, so it was hard to tell. The ghost they had been looking for, Skulker, was floating high above the ground. He seemed to be searching for something but no one could figure out what.

Danny grinned. "He's going to _kill me_ for this."

Before Batman could ask him what the heck that meant, Danny fell a few steps back before sprinting forward, jumping from the building, and tackling the ghost to the ground, all the while flipping off so he wouldn't still be on the ghost upon impact.

Skulker crashed into the ground while Danny landed in a silent crouch, far from the crash site. When the robotic specter climbed out of the rubble, he saw his attacker in his crouch, waving flirtatiously at Skulker while the teen smirked under his hood.

"_You._"

"Hey-y-y-y Skulker~! Long time no see, am I right?" Danny replied, standing from his crouch and casually putting his hands on his fists. The teen was wearing his annoying smirk that could tick off even the happiest of people. The batting of his glowing peridot eyes further increased Skulker's irritation.

An evil glint in his eye, Danny asked "How's Ember, Skulky? I haven't seen her in awhile."

Instantly, Skulker was trying to shoot Danny down with a very large ray gun. The teen jumped over the blasts while simultaneously trying to get closer to the robotic ghost. Danny occasionally shot his own ecto-blasts at Skulker but mostly saved his energy for getting closer to do some real damage.

While Danny ticked villains off and attacked them, Batman stuck behind to help the civilians out of the area and to protect them from oncoming, flying debris. Batman could only smirk in amusement when he heard everyone asking each other who the new hero was.

_Irony._

Danny flew forward, dodging a missile, and rocketing forward. He slammed into Skulker and the two crashed into the ground. Danny fell off the bigger ghost but easily got back up, panting but smirking as usual. Not tired in the least, Danny asked his enemy "What the heck are you even _doing here_, Skulker?"

"I'm trying to find my prey that got away earlier!" Skulker yelled back at the boy as he, too, got up.

Danny shrugged, said "Sucks for you", before inky black covered his eyes, his lips twisted into a dark smirk. He watched as Skulker tried lashing out at the illusions Danny had made just for him but the robotic ghost could not escape his own mind. Danny watched him fall casually and pass out, as all people did when they were victim to the illusions too long.

Once the ghost was out, Danny let his nightmare abilities leave his mind as he heard a bunch of guns getting cocked behind him. He turned on his heel and saw a good part of the Gotham's cops aiming their guns at him.

And standing _right beside_ Commissioner James Gordon was none other than General Nate Olsen.

"Crap…" Danny mumbled, his smirk being replaced with his frown. He turned, ready to retreat, but he ran into the Dark Knight's chest. Danny glared up at his handler while Batman rolled his eyes and turned him around to face law enforcement.

Olsen, glaring at Danny because he knew the white-haired teen _was_ Danny, stalked forward with a heated expression. The teen rolled his eyes in annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly. Batman placed a hand on his shoulder and tightened his grip around it, making sure Danny knew not to do anything stupid in his irksome way.

The general grabbed the front of Danny's vest and brought him close to his face. "What else don't I know about?!"

"I also have a pet dragon. I'm sorry I never told you." Danny answered sarcastically, mimicking a sullen look but his eyes were sparking with mirth.

"_Please_ stop acting like an _ass_." Batman moaned.

Danny's mock look of sadness was replaced with an amused grin, which he shot over his shoulder towards his handler.

Batman sighed in annoyance, wondering what else Danny was going to do to trash his own crappy reputation.

The teen looked back to Olsen. The general's eye was twitching and he still had Danny's vest in a tight hold, glaring at the boy with a fire like never before.

"Let go of me." Danny ordered, voice serious with steely eyes to match.

Olsen leaned towards Danny's face and, tone filled with mockery, he said "_No_."

The teen shoved his own face in the general's and let the black inkiness slam over his green irises. Olsen screamed immediately and stumbled back, getting far away from the angered teen as he looked around blearily. People tried to help him but he lashed out at the good Samaritans.

Batman roughly shoved Danny back and to the side, yelling a strict "_Stop it_!"

Danny's concentration broke and the black retreated from his eyes again. The teen glared up at the Dark Knight for interrupting him but took another step back to put distance between him and the general. The teen fixed his hood more on his head, looking away, and crossing his arms over his chest again.

Olsen regained his bearings again rather quickly and glared at the silent boy. Mumbling a long "_You_…", he tried to rush the teen but Dark Knight stood in his way, the black-clad hero standing between the two antagonists with eyes of steel.

"Get out of my way so I can kill that piece of filth!" Olsen yelled at the blockade that was Batman.

"No. I am fully aware he shouldn't have done that but you baited him so _both of you_ are at fault. Just. _Drop it_." Batman ordered, voice firm and his tone serious.

"If he does something like that again, he's going-"

"I _know_, Olsen. But you're not helping with the reform _at all_. You're not even giving him a chance to let him fix his wrongs and he just took down a criminal. You need to back down and let me work with him." Batman stated before he turned on his heel. As he walked past Danny, he grabbed the teen's arm with a tight grip in warning and pulled him along. "Let's go."

Danny followed behind in a jog and, for once, kept his mouth shut. Keeping his place slightly behind his handler, Danny matched the older's pace and kept up with him as the Dark Knight stalked away from the site.

"What about Skulker?" Danny asked quietly, casting his gaze over to the downed ghost.

Batman stopped. "What do you think we need to do?"

"Get him back to the GZ but I don't have a portal-gun on me." Danny answered, frowning uneasily.

Batman took something from his belt and gave the small ray-gun to Danny. The teen looked it over and studied the design. He opened one of the circuit panels and studied the wiring before he gazed up at his handler dryly. "You made a smaller portal-gun designed after my original design? Really?"

The Dark Knight shrugged. "Just in case I ever needed it."

Danny sighed and rolled his eyes before shooting the ghost with it, efficiently sending the ghost back to its home, before he gave it back and the two took off again.

Once back at the teen's apartment and after the boy transformed back into his human half, Danny thought Batman would just make sure he got back inside but the Dark Knight followed him in. Danny tensed his shoulders, like children did when they knew their parents were mad at them and were waiting for the perfect opportunity to yell at them.

"You just _had_ to tick Olsen off."

"I told him to get out of my face." Danny retorted, glancing over his shoulder at the Dark Knight.

Batman glared at the teen. "You have more self-control than that."

"That dwindles whenever he shows up."

"I couldn't tell." Batman said sarcastically.

Danny waved the older hero off. "Look. I did it. I can't undo it now. So Olsen hates my guts more now. Fine with me."

Batman grabbed Danny's chin and turned the teen to fully face him. Danny tried to throw Batman's hand off but his grip was tense and hard, keeping him right in place. The boy glared up at his man-handler heatedly.

"You better start caring before Olsen decides to _order your demise_. I'm trying to keep you off death-row but you're making that _so hard_. If you keep pushing his buttons, he's not going to keep giving you chances. He's going to think his superiors made a mistake by letting you live! If you keep doing what you did earlier, he's going to think you have no self control over yourself and that you _should_ be dead." Batman stated sternly.

Danny grabbed at Batman's hand around his chin with a grimace. "So _what_? If he wants to kill me, I'll just go AWOL on him like I do everyone else!"

"Don't you get it?! If he says it, I'm going to be the one to have to bring you in! After he says it, I'm not going to be able to help you anymore Danny! It's going to be on my head too! _Do you_ _want that_?!" Batman yelled, tightening his grip on Danny's chin as his heated and steely eyes looked down at the boy.

Danny went quiet and his grip around Batman's hands stayed but slackened. His blue eyes fell to the ground and he mumbled "You're hurting me."

Batman relaxed his grip but refused to release. He tilted Danny's head up, trying to get his blue gaze back at his own but the teen remained staring at the ground. "Are you going to answer me?"

"…no…"

"No what? No you're not going to answer me?"

"_No_, I don't want that!" Danny yelled, eyes flashing back up to Batman's. His own eyes were misty but he was heated too.

"Then help yourself Danny because I can't do everything." Batman stated, releasing the teen's jaw-line and retreating from the apartment.

Danny rubbed his aching chin before sniffing and falling back onto the couch. He crawled under the blankets and pulled them around him tightly. He balled himself up, sniffed again, and fell asleep with the Dark Knight's words echoing around in his skull.

* * *

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: _Gabriel Novak, Orpheus Thanatos Messiah, Ethiopian1987, Demon Stones._**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following me: _Demon Stones._**

**Reviews:**

**KuriMaster: Thanks~! :D Danny's being an anti-hero cause he's still actively working on the Dark-Net, not taking jobs but still working on it which, ultimately, aids criminals. He's so fantastic that way... (*rolls eyes* What are we going to do with you, Danny?)**

**Grava: So do I... XD**

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: Yep. He's asking for it.**

**Roselin: :D Glad you laughed a ton! I love it when people laugh!**

**Scheffelman: Always. He Supes.**

**YumiStar: XD I know, right? They're the best trio ever!**

**Expergiscimini: I was thinking the same. XD**

**Guest of Honor: Danny is Danny and he shall remain that way. XD**

**Shadow: I think we all wish that would out when we're at the mall. XD I get it. My dad was Navy. And is that enough sabotage for Olsen? XD ...dude...you're so nice to me!**

**Poohbearmorris: :D You're so wonderful to me! Glad you enjoyed!**

**Sarra Torrens: XD Glad you enjoyed~!**

**BrownHari2918: That last part. I said it sarcastically. XD**

**Astroshadow: We can't do anything cause we're just the readers (...and writer...)!**

**Bibbledoo: I think we all would have happily done that. XD**

**Ninuhuju: It's not too bad! I just wanted Danny to have a wake-up call!**

**H. H. Xia: He has perfected that method, hasn't he? XD**

**KainVixenheim: *shrugs* Whatever.**

**The Keeper of Worlds: That job is a pain... Even Danny respects that. XD**


	24. Doing It Wrong

Ch.24: Doing It Wrong

Danny absently stared at his computer screen with blue eyes. His bored face looked ready to drop dead any minute. Even though he could now go outside freely, he found there wasn't much he could do outside anyways.

Digging into a box of cereal that he had stolen because stealing money to buy food took longer than just stealing the food, he put a handful of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in his mouth and chewed. The cereal tasted like cardboard and his stomach told him that he didn't need food. He continued to eat anyways cause he was still bored and eating cereal was like eating chips. One could eat three thousand boxes and _still_ not feel totally full.

His stolen stereo blared his usual heavy metal but he wasn't feeling it. Danny didn't really feel hyped by any of the music he played and found himself wishing for a new band. But that sounded even more boring for his troubled mind and dismissed the thoughts of doing such a thing.

Danny was almost tempted to call one of his two friends but didn't do it. He knew Tucker was working on a new android for some guy named 'High Tide' and, though the cocoa-skinned boy was willing to talk while he worked, Tucker's head was never with the conversation when he was in 'work-mode'.

Sam was visiting their old buddies from the Black Panther Society. She always did it once a year and, as the society's rules, she wasn't allowed to bring along any devices.

The girl had asked if Danny had wanted to tag along but the ebony-haired teen, remembering his time with the Panthers, decided against it.

Danny, when he was training with Sam, had been a little troublemaker and a huge pain in the arse for the Panthers. He had always done a good job of sneaking in electronics, being loud and obnoxious, and was continually making tiny time bombs and hiding them under peoples' beds.

To say they threw a party when he left was an _understatement_. Sam had told them they had thrown one of the biggest parties in the world. She had never seen so much dancing, streamers, and balloons in one place before. Especially since the society didn't have the biggest hideout one could have.

Danny had never been so touched at anything in his life.

The teen looked up briefly at his TV. He had turned on Ghost Whisperer out of boredom and found it was both interesting and hilarious. Interesting because of the point of view it had but hilarious because that wasn't even close to what death really was.

Normal people amused Danny.

Mouthing along with the words to the stereo, Danny laid his head against the back of the couch, closing his eyes tiredly. He had slept through the night before peacefully but found that boredom was draining and left you tired in an irritating way.

Doing nothing all day was becoming a pain. He found himself wishing for jobs, even though he knew that would result with his head on a pike and guts on the pavement if Olsen or Batman ever found out. And Danny knew Batman would because he had to call the hero every night or face certain suspicious.

Speaking of Batman, their relationship was rocky at the moment. They were both having trouble letting their last fight go. They weren't angry, per say, but things were awkward and straight to business. Their calls at the end of the day were brief with only small questions and one syllable words following as answers. Even though this type of relationship irked both parties, they had yet to figure out how to make the ice thaw.

Since neither was socially active, it only made things _worse_.

Danny would never admit it aloud but he really did miss casual conversations with the Dark Knight. It always made his days brighter and put a smile on his face. It also eased whatever boredom he had away and made him relaxed, of all things.

With his eyes closed, Danny thought of all the things he could've done differently, could've said and could say that could make things all better again. He tried to fix everything he remembered, everything he did wrong that actually mattered to him.

With the music wafting through the apartment and his thoughts acting like a dark lullaby, Danny drifted off into sleep with his head lying against the back of the couch, his hands resting still on his keyboard, and a blanket wrapped around his legs.

Over the hours, the light peeking through the closed curtains turned from a bright and warm yellow to a sleepy orange. The sleepy orange came about to be loving pink until that turned to a deep purple before that became solid black.

The lights in the apartment were off but it was still bright, as the TV was still on, the various clocks around the room were still blaring green numbers, and the stereo played on. Through all the noise, Danny remained peacefully asleep and oblivious to the world about him. The cacophony of noises was his little sleep-aid.

Near one in the morning, the laptop awoke and began buzzing. The words 'Incoming Call: Batsy' flashed across the screen.

Danny stirred, blue eyes opening as the laptop vibrated against his legs. Squinting and rubbing his eyes, Danny read the message across the screen before pressing 'enter' and leaning back against the couch again. He waved to the black-clad figure on the screen.

"Hey Bats."

"You forgot to call me." Batman stated dryly.

Danny hummed in thought before replying "Actually, I've been asleep since two… Or, at least, I'm pretty sure it was two. Time is my enemy when I'm bored."

"I think that rings true for most of us."

Danny shrugged in response.

"Did you do anything today?" Batman asked.

"Nope."

"…nothing at all?"

"Yep."

"…alright then…" Batman mumbled.

Danny shrugged again. "I slept most of it so, you know… I didn't do much."

"Wonderful." Batman said sarcastically.

Danny gave him a thumbs up in response, snuggling deep into his seat contently.

The hero and the teen settled into an uncomfortable silence, not sure of what to say or do next. If it were any other day, Danny might've teased the Dark Knight but he didn't know if that was smart. Batman's expression was that of a statue and he couldn't tell if the hero wanted him to say something to make things normal or if Batman wanted the relationship to remain the same.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow night." Batman informed.

Danny nodded. "M'kay."

Batman gave a wave before hanging up. The window closed on Danny's computer, replacing the screen with the view of his expansive network. Shrugging, the teen began looking through it, deciding to amuse himself by playing with the other unsuspecting villains.

Bringing misery to others was always refreshing…

As Danny redesigned Dead Shot's page from dull, plain, and dark to rainbows, unicorns, and marshmallows, the teen knew something was seriously wrong with him since he took an immeasurable amount of joy from it but he waved it off. He had always known something was off in his brain. He just wasn't sure what.

Now he knew it was lack of remorse and guilt.

While he amused himself, he also monitored some IMs, PMs, and video chats. He made sure nothing too illegal was going down, remembering he had to reform and all, before he left the petty criminals be and moved on with his life.

Occasionally, he'd screw with a few because he could before he moved on, leaving the felons to scream and cry and blame the other person on the line.

One would think that by now someone would have figured out it was Phantom playing with the feed… The idiots were still oblivious.

Something caught Danny's attention and he zeroed in on the IM. Hacking into the server, he watched as the two convicts messaged back and forth, one looking for services the other could provide.

The one looking for services was 'Drip' and the one getting paid was named 'Hardwire'.

Hardwire was the team-leader for a group of mercenaries called 'the Rolling Blanks'.

With interest, Danny monitored the messages. Drip, for unspecified reasons, had a vendetta against reporter Vicki Vale. Hardwire was willing to kill the woman for a good stack of bills. But that's where problems arose; Drip wasn't too willing to pay as much money as Hardwire wanted.

Danny rolled his eyes. _Criminals_…

After much fighting, threatening, cussing, and negotiating, the two were able to come to a shaky agreement and Drip gave the details of the kill to his associate. While Hardwire agreed to the specifications, Danny decided that since he knew about it and was right in the area for it, he'd put a stop to it.

Reforming and all… Might as well try to get started _somewhere_…

Quickly leaving the dead chat-room, Danny pressed a sequence on his keyboard and the words 'Calling: Sam and Tucker' flashed across the screen since he knew both would be able to pick up, as Tucker was home (always) and Sam was supposed to be back from the Panthers. The two picked up rather quickly.

Sam's screen was blank but he could hear her rummaging off-screen. Tucker was working on his android, staring down at his circuitry, and drinking some water from a green, plastic straw.

Danny smirked and asked "Who wants to go on a date with me?"

Tucker did a spit-take all over his camera while there was a loud _BANG _from Sam's screen and a loud yelp of pain, followed by a long '_awww_'. Danny's two friends looked at the boy weirdly at the same time though, giving him these strange looks.

"_Excuse me_?!"

Danny smirked wider and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "Great… Now that I have your attention, I'd like to ask for some help on something."

_48 Hours Later…_

"I can't _believe_ we agreed to help you out with this…" Sam mumbled, hanging off of Danny's arm as she pretended to be his caring, loving twin sister. The girl was faking a pleasant smile but deep in her violet eyes there was nothing but irritation.

Danny was also smiling as he slowly looked around the large ballroom. His smile wasn't fake though. A laughing smile played on his lips while his blue eyes sparked with silent mirth. The teen's arm was linked with his friend's while his free hand rested on her arm.

The boy mumbled "I can…"

Tucker stood beside the two, off to Danny's side. He didn't even bother to try and fake a smile. His scowl and unhappy green eyes chased off any girls in the vicinity. The cocoa-skinned boy had one arm behind his back while he held a drink in his other.

All three wore outfits like they had just come out of a medieval fairytale. But that's the way everyone else was dressed, as well.

"I hate you." Tucker plainly stated, glaring at his guy friend with green eyes.

Danny, still smiling in amusement, patted his friend's shoulder without any remorse. Sam, still smiling, sighed in annoyance but sounded and looked more content than she really was. If one squinted while gazing at the girl, they might be able to catch on to her irked attitude.

"So do you even know what these guys look like?" Tucker asked quietly as he moved to stand behind his two friends, looking around the ballroom with his hand in his dress-suit pocket, a casual expression on his face as his green eyes scanned the area.

Danny hummed a negative. "No. I hacked their computers but they've got no pictures on anything and they don't own webcams."

"Wonderful…" Sam muttered.

"Mm-hmm…" Danny mumbled, eyes gazing at the reporter they were currently protecting under-cover.

Vicki Vale stood off to the side, taking notes and casually chatting with some of the higher up people at the party. The reporter looked like she was having a field day.

Danny's eyes moved away from the woman as she looked in his direction. Danny mumbled "All we have to do is make sure no one too suspicious gets near her."

"Or just watch out and make sure no one with a mask or dressed completely in black gets in." Tucker muttered sarcastically.

His two friends rolled their eyes, still smiling pleasantly so others would think they were having a good time.

As the teens mingled with other partygoers, they made sure to act proudly. Sam and Danny pretended to just _adore_ their twin while Tucker was their best friend, getting in-between the two at times, much to their amusement.

Some people thought the three's relationship was adorable while others thought Sam and Danny's supposed sibling relationship was just a little too close and Tucker was just their cover. No one ever said so out loud but their faces told it all.

As Sam and Danny danced with a bunch of other couples, their eyes scanned the room for the mercenaries. Tucker was slowly walking just outside the large circle and his green eyes were looking every which way as well, trying to find the soon-to-be assailants but he came up with nothing.

Blue eyes slowly looked around the room as Danny and Sam walked in a circle. His eyes caught sight of Vicki Vale again but he looked away as her gaze journeyed around the dancing couples. The boy and his friend continued with the dance, continuing on with their beautifully fake smiles that just glowed with radiance.

"Danny…" Sam mumbled lowly. Danny's eyes moved down to Sam's before following her gaze to a man standing near Vicki Vale. He had red hair smoothed back and his goatee was well-trimmed, as well as the outfit he was wearing, perfectly tailored for the occasion.

The ebony-haired boy's eyes locked with Tucker's green ones. Serious, blue eyes wandered back over to the man and the cocoa-skinned boy nodded, almost indiscernible. Tucker trotted off to the bathroom, where he was going to undoubtedly strip himself of his medieval attire and turn on his war-bot.

Sam and Danny waited impatiently for the song they were dancing to to end before they strode slowly off the dance floor. The violet-eyed girl, smiling cutely, whispered some serious words to Danny before unlatching her arm and gliding away gracefully. Danny, instead of waiting for his 'twin' to come back, walked off and journeyed closer to where Vicki Vale was standing. The man was staring at the red-headed woman with steely eyes as he took a sip from his drink.

As he made sure no one was watching, Danny ducked behind a tall curtain hanging from the ceiling and allowed himself to transform into Graveyard. Turning invisible, he silently walked over to stand in-between Vicki and the man, whom Danny had guessed was Hardwire but wasn't sure.

On the other side of the room, there were multiple gunshots and everyone screamed, trying to rush for the exits. The red-haired man lunged forward and through the cacophony, towards Vicki, but ran into Danny's fist as the teen shot it forward.

The man collapsed to the ground, holding his broken nose while Danny let his invisibility drop. The teen mocked the man, saying "_Oh-h-h-h_, so sorry. Didn't see you there… Let me make it better."

Danny grabbed the man's hair before launching his head towards his knee. There was a sickening _cr-r-rack _and the man collapsed, unconscious.

"Whoops." Danny mumbled, smiling darkly, before he turned to the terrified Vicki Vale. He grabbed her arm before beginning to drag her away, the older woman screaming, terrifying. Danny paid no heed before he flung her into a closet.

"Stay here for me." Danny ordered before slamming the door shut without remorse. He then locked her inside so she wouldn't think about escaping and running. As he turned back towards the rest of the huge ballroom, he saw most of the people had fled, though some were still running around like headless chickens. A few innocents had been killed.

There were a few that Sam, as Snowbird, and Tucker, as Droid, had dispatched that were part of the Rolling Bullets. One could tell by the various weapons scattered about the fallen agents.

Danny eagerly joined the fray and dispatched a couple of other agents trying to flee. He used his powers very little because he didn't find that they were needed in this situation. The teen just broke a couple of bones, letting them pass out from pain, before moving on to the next.

Sam and Tucker did the same. None of the teens actually killed anyone because they were acting like a bunch of heroes but that didn't mean they couldn't be harsh to the deserving felons.

Tucker took out the last one with a huge thwack to the agents head with his metallic fist. Danny thought he _might've_ heard a tiny crack but he wasn't sure.

Just as they finished that up, Batman swooped in from a high perch, using the huge skylight above them. He looked around the room, saw all the fallen agents, and turned to Danny questioningly, while Sam and Tucker chose to start dragging the agents into one huge bundle to tie them up, not wanting to deal with the Dark Knight.

"Heh heh… Well… Nice to see you here…"

"How'd you find out?" Batman asked dryly, staring at Danny with tired eyes.

"…Dark-Net…"

Batman nodded and hummed, expecting the answer to come from Danny's mouth. "I had a feeling you lied to me that day…"

Danny pressed his lips together tightly while clasping his hands behind his back. Hesitantly, the boy asked "But didn't my friends and I do good…? Sort of..?"

Batman looked over the room, namely at the downed agents, before replying "We'll work on your all's brutality rate later but, for now… Good job."

Danny beamed and felt that, by doing something mildly good, that he had managed to make the ice thaw between the two. Just as he was about to go join his friends and tell them they got Batman's approval, the closet door Danny had hidden Vicki in started shaking, screams for help emitting behind it.

Batman turned to Danny with an exaggerated face. The teen chuckled nervously, taking a few steps back.

"Oh, I'm going to kill you later, Boy…"

"But we did good, remember?"

"_Killing you_."

* * *

**Danny will eventually learn you cannot take people captive and lock them in closets while trying to save them. Not only will they be traumatized but Danny might forget they exist and leave them there. For who knows how long.**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: _Marco2o, FareyaWH, TheMysteriousOtaku, Thrill-Pair-All-The-Way, Thelightningemperor_.**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following me: _Marco2o, Elinasti0_.**

**Reviews:**

**SomeItalian: Hope you're spirits are lifted eventually! Dan's not showing up in this fic. No, I have not read the series. :)**

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: It's amusing, is it not? XD**

**YumiStar: Wonderful thoughts right there.**

**KuriMaster: _Oh_. I'm stupid. ...hm, gotta stop reading questions the wrong way... Anyways, how I view the situation might be different from yours so bear with me (XD) but since he's got to reform, Danny mostly _has_ to be a hero but his attitude is like "screw you" so he's giving up specific acts that are noticeable while still being a villain under the table... (If you couldn't tell, I _suck_ at explaining things.)**

**Roselin: _Yes_. Be conflicted. XD**

**Guest of Honor: Glad you enjoyed! Danny's not turning a new leaf so easily, my friend. That would be too quick. XD**

**Scheffelman: I can only bring him in the right situation and GAH! It's hard to work around my perfectly planned out plan! (Well, that was kind of redundant.)**

**Poohbearmorris: _No_, because that would be too easy. XD**

**Grava: *snorts* Yep. That would work.**

**Marco2o: Aw, thanks! XDD I shall!**

**KainVixenheim: You people need to start sleeping more. Seriously.**

**Ninuhuju: Probably not but it's still enough to tick of Skulky. XD**

**Bibbledoo: XD Glad you enjoyed~!**

**Shadow: Batsy being evil, Olsen getting attacked, and the first scene is getting a lot of hits... XD ...wow...my writing can NOT be that good.**

**The Keeper of Worlds: *snorts* Wonderful. Happy fake Saturday! XD**

**SweetyKinz: Well, he still struggles with self-control but he's working on it! XD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW. LIKE, SO. FRIKKIN. MUCH. YOU'RE A FRIKKIN AWESOME WRITER AND A FANTASTIC BUDDY. THAT DOESN'T COME OFTEN. *crushes you in hug* :D**


	25. Disagreements

Ch.25: Disagreements

Batman watched Danny 'ignore' him as the teen sang loud and obnoxiously. The music flooding from the stereo was on the loudest volume possible and was probably annoying all the neighbors to no end. If someone didn't show up at the door to figure out what was wrong with the teen, Batman would actually be surprised.

Danny's smile was wide and positively evil. His singing was crap and could not legally be called 'singing'. Batman had a feeling that was intentional, as the teen could be a good singer when he wasn't paying attention or was trying. It was not one of those times though.

The expression Batman wore was once again dry as he stared at the teen. Occasionally, he blinked but it wasn't too often. Other than that, he made no movement.

"I need to talk to you about something." Batman said loudly over the noise of the music and Danny's horrendous screeching. The teen, eyes laughing, completely ignored the Dark Knight's statement. Instead, he fell on his back, kicking his feet in the air as he bobbed his head back and forth.

Taking a deep breath, Batman tried to keep himself calm, even though Danny was absolutely infuriating. As always.

"Danny." Batman called but got no answer, just more screaming.

There was a loud knock at the door and Danny got up to answer it, dancing and 'singing' obnoxiously to the exit. Once at the door, he opened it some, looked out, and yelled "No one's dying in here!"

Then he slammed the door in the worker's face and locked the door behind him. Intense banging and enraged screams followed behind the teen but that wasn't anything unusual. It was just Danny being typical Danny.

The teen turned around, dancing to a guitar solo, before he abruptly screamed and dove for the kitchenette.

A bat-a-rang meant for his face hit the door behind him.

"Oh, now that was _rude_!" Danny yelled at the angry hero as he got off the ground. The teen was wearing his signature smirk and knew he had been ticking Batman off for the past half-hour. Danny leaned against the puny counter, smirk still playing on his lips as he tilted his head to the side.

Simmering, Batman said again "We need to talk."

"What?!" Danny yelled, purposely turning the music up louder (oh, it hadn't been at the loudest volume, apparently). The heavy metal practically made the room vibrate and the poor residents of the hotel were probably even more annoyed than they already were.

_VROOM._

Danny ducked as a bat-a-rang flew past his head, hit the stereo, and blew it up. The teen came back up and gaped at the sizzling piece of scrap. He gave Batman a glare and yelled "That's like telling me 'Hey Danny, go steal another stereo, would ya?' I thought we were trying to get me to _stop_ that!"

Batman kept himself mostly cool and calm. "Danny… Do me a favor."

"…what's the favor..?"

"_Sit down and shut up_."

Danny slunk to the couch and did as he was ordered, trying to hide his grin while shrinking in on himself. Batman rubbed his face in exaggeration while he mumbled profanities under his breath, making Danny grin wider, but he chose to ignore that.

"So what do you wanna talk about?" Danny asked, batting his eyes and tilting his head to the side innocently. His lips were pursed together cutely while he looked up at the Dark Knight with his crystalline blue eyes that portrayed nothing but love and rainbows and world peace…

Batman, miraculously, was able to keep his hands out of his armory of a belt. "Olsen and I talked last night after you and I did. We both agreed on something I _know_ you're going to despise."

"I know what you're going to tell me…" Danny said gravely. "…you want me to become a blonde."

_VROOO._

Danny ducked out of the way of another bat-a-rang before popping up, glancing between the weapon in his wall and the heated Dark Knight. The teen pointed at the wall dryly and stated "You're paying for that."

"For the love of- _You're going to school tomorrow_!" Batman yelled at the boy. He watched in victory as Danny froze, staring at him with unreadable eyes. The Dark Knight calmed himself down in the time it took for Danny to calm himself down again, which took _a lot_ longer than it normally did.

Danny got off the couch and, with his unreadable expression, stood calmly beside the older hero. He crossed one arm over his chest and, with his free arm, waved his hand around in the air. "So… Let me get this straight… _You_. Want _me_. To go to _school_."

"I _just_ said that." Batman stated, an annoyed tone lacing the words.

Needless to say, when five minutes passed and Danny was _still_ trying to kill Batman, the apartment was completely and utterly destroyed with both occupants ticked at the other more-so than usual. People were also banging on the door, trying to figure out what was going on inside without having to call the cops.

Dodging an ecto-blast to the head, Batman finally caught Danny in a headlock and sprayed some knock-out gas in the teen's face. Danny slumped instantly, asleep like a little angel. The Dark Knight rolled his eyes before scooping Danny up and tossing him in the apartment bed.

Why Danny had yet to sleep there on his own was a complete mystery to the Caped Crusader and would remain that way forevermore.

An hour later, when Danny would awake, he would find a note on the nightstand inscribed:

_You still have school tomorrow. I'm picking you up at 7:30. Be up and ready by then or I will drag you there, no matter how tired you are or what the heck you are wearing. You're going either way._

_ -Batman_

_ P.S. If you try to go AWOL, I _will_ find you within the day and beat you to a bloody pulp. I am watching you very closely._

Danny glared at the note, irritation coursing through his veins as he read it. He turned onto his back, held the note above him, and ripped it to shreds. The bits of paper fell down around him like snowflakes, covering him and the bed in scraps.

The teen brushed the strips off him and let them glide down off the bed and onto the floor. Danny laid on his stomach, staring at the clock on the nightstand. It read he had hours left until Batman was going to pick him up. Even so, his stomach dropped.

Getting up, Danny walked out of the room and into the living room next door to the bedroom. He grabbed a jacket and threw his shoes on before grabbing his keys. He left the apartment, locking it behind him, and walked off down the hall, heading for the lobby while he shoved the black and grey beanie that had been in his jacket pocket over his head and down over his ears.

Even the glare the doorman gave the teen as he walked by for slamming the door in his face earlier in the day didn't bring a smile to the teen's lips.

* * *

Slipping into Danny's bedroom before the scheduled time because he wanted Danny in something decent, Batman looked around and noticed the room wasn't nearly as dark as it usually was. The bathroom door in the bedroom was open, light pouring from small room, while unusual sounds echoed from the room.

Worriedly, Batman walked over to the bathroom and stood in the doorframe before mumbling a swear under his breath as he jerked forward to stand by Danny's side.

The teen was leaning over the sink, mouth open and eyes teary, face flushed red. His body quivered in its spot as an indescribable sound escaped his mouth, hitching every few seconds. Saliva tainted with a tiny bit of stomach bit of stomach acid dripped from his open mouth, running down his face and dripping off his chin.

"Come on, Kid! What'd you do to get yourself sick _that_ easily?" Batman berated, putting a hand to Danny's tense back before it brutally collapsed and he gasped for breath. The teen didn't have much time to gulp down air before his body jerked forward again, more stomach acid dripping from his mouth.

Danny went through the motions a couple more times before he calmed again. He gulped down air while Batman handed him a rag and motioned for him to move to the side. Danny willingly did as told and the Dark Knight flipped the sink on, washing the porcelain of the dull-yellow saliva.

"That… Wasn't… My fault." Danny stated as he stood up straight, body trembling unconsciously as he calmed his breathing.

Batman hummed sarcastically while looking over the boy. He reached out and played with Danny's dark blue locks hanging in his face. "Any reason you decided to dye your bangs _blue_? When did you have time to do it?"

"I did it last night. And don't teens rebel or something..?" Danny asked, throwing the rag in the sink for later.

Batman stared at Danny dryly. "You've been put on death-row. You can't get any more rebellious than that."

Danny shrugged before the Dark Knight tapped the back of the boy's head in a mock-slap before asking "Why were trying to puke your guts out?"

The teen shifted uncomfortably before answering "I'm nervous…"

"About going to school?" Batman asked incredulously. "_Why_?"

"Cause I haven't had a permanent schedule in _years_! I've been free to go wherever whenever I want! School holds me down, Bats! Even with you 'watching me', I could pretty much do whatever I wanted! This is absolutely _terrifying_!" Danny answered, on the verge of hysterics.

Batman almost face-palmed. Danny was scared of a schedule and a social life.

He should've known.

Batman put a hand on Danny's shoulder and assured "Everything will be _fine_. Trust me on this. If it wasn't good for you, I wouldn't be sending you."

Danny calmed and nodded. Batman retracted his hand before silently beginning to walk out of the bathroom. He paused and looked behind him when the teen didn't follow. Danny was standing in his spot, holding the edge of the counter, looking considerably paler than he did a few seconds ago.

Batman resisted the sigh wanting to escape his lips before he told Danny to put his head on the counter, the teen willingly doing so. The two stayed like that for awhile with Danny controlling his breathing and Batman rubbing his back comfortingly.

Danny stood only when he felt fine again and, before the teen could do anything, Batman turned on his disguise and practically dragged the boy from the apartment complex.

* * *

Staring at the school with the disguised Batman beside him, Danny pulled his beanie over his ears further before looking up at his 'guardian', glaring at the older man with heated eyes, letting him know how unhappy he was.

The teen had been thinking in the car and each thought made Danny more nervous and resentful of the Dark Knight.

Batman pushed Danny forward and began walking towards the urban North Gotham High. The teen growled to himself as he was pushed forward and frowned deeper when the Dark Knight followed behind him.

Students flooded into the doors, chatting and laughing as they walked into the doors and down the halls. Some of them stopped to see who the new kid was but Danny only rolled his eyes and continued on, unwillingly. Irritation flashed across his face as he glanced at a few giggling girls.

Batman led Danny into the office, where they all went through the motions. Women behind desks smiled and greeted them warmly, occasionally eyeing Danny's appearance, but mostly talking with the Dark Knight, whom they did not know was actually a superhero. They only knew that his name was 'John Smith' (real creative, Batsy) and that Danny was his nephew who lived with him because his parents were in a tragic accident.

The looks of pity and sympathy made Danny want to hurl again and ruin their cover because nothing had actually happened.

Once Batman had filled out all the forms and Danny was given his schedule, both males began leaving the office and stopped in the hallway. By then, the bell had rung and all the students had gone off to class. The two stood outside the doorway and Danny lulled his head to look at Batman.

"How am I supposed to explain being eighteen when I'm a sophomore?"

Batman patted his back before stating "Lie. You can pass off two years younger than you actually are. You're short enough. Now, make the best of your first day for me."

Danny made a 'wha-?!' sound before Batman was gone, leaving him to stand in the middle of the hallway stupidly. Growling, he shrugged the backpack Batman had given to him in the car over his shoulders, looked at his schedule, and took off down the hall. After getting lost three times, he finally found the right room and entered with his usual scowl.

The homeroom teacher, Mrs. Kingsley, looked up from where she was speaking to face the new student. Danny handed her a slip that had been given to him by the ladies in the office, stuffing his hand in his pocket afterwards. He looked dryly around the room where the other students were looking at him in interest.

Kingsley scanned over the slip before turning to the rest of the students and saying "Class, we have a new student today. His name is Danny Fenton. Can we say hello?"

A wave of dry and bored welcomes met Danny's ears and he rolled his eyes.

Kingsley took a deep breath before continuing "Danny, would you like to tell the class about yourself?"

"No." Danny answered, shaking his head and glancing at his homeroom teacher with no interest, happiness, or content. The way he stood, leaning slightly to the side, showed how much he didn't want to be there.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Say one thing about yourself and we can move on."

"Hm… I am your worst nightmare." Danny stated before walking to the back of the class and sitting in an empty seat in the corner. People snickered while Kingsley looked at her new student dryly. The teen fell in his seat, putting his left ankle of his right knee, and leaning back with a smirk.

The woman narrowed her eyes at the boy before continuing on with what she was saying.

Once the attention was off him, Danny sighed in annoyance.

_Seven and a Half Hours Later…_

Batman, in his disguise, stood in the doorframe of the principal's office with a very unhappy look directed at the boy sitting in the seat in front of the desk. Danny was pleased with himself as he leaned against the back of the chair, eyes closed contently as he hummed to himself, hands clasped over his student and one ankle resting on his knee.

"What did he do?" Batman asked dryly.

* * *

**I feel Danny's pain. School terrifies me. (Homeschooling forever~!)**

**Now I have to go to Core, even though I should be off from it... If someone sees me on the six o'clock news for murder... _Oops_.**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: _Mystic Myra 8_.**

**Reviews:**

**YumiStar: YUP. They mostly did ok! They've just got to work on some things... (Ok, a lot of things...)**

**Scheffelman: Not ruining it. Just got the plan and freaking out cause I don't know how to adjust it without setting off some freakish chain reaction that's not needed. XD**

**Kimori Takahashi: You were trapped in a closet? ..._wow_... XD**

**Roselin: Oh the irony! XDDD I shall remember always!**

**Grava: No he would not. Which is why it was Vicki Vale. XD**

**Guest of Honor: Thank you. I love being called hilarious. :D I don't think anyone's getting shot though... Vlad I know is most likely not gonna show up and the family... I'm working on that.**

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: What are we gonna do with him, right?**

**The Keeper of Worlds: Thank you. I thought that would be hilarious. XD Yeah, pretty scary, huh?**

**KuriMaster13: Glad you liked that part. :D Oh, so you _did_ get it. Wonderful. And yeah... He's getting there... At least he's trying... XD**

**H. H. Xia: He's pushing him there, ain't he? XD**

**Ninuhuju: XD He just can't win, can he?**

**Poohbearmorris: See! It is fun! YEAH~!**


	26. Social Problems

Ch.26: Social Problems

"What did he do?"

The principal, Mr. Irwin, looked at the disguised hero with an exaggerated look. "Well, there are a lot of things he did… He's gotten more offenses in one day than some students get in a year."

Batman looked down at Danny, his expression showing how ticked off he was.

Danny shrugged up at him. "You told me to make the best of my day."

"That is not what I meant and you know that!"

"_Do I_?"

_SMACK._

"Ow!" Danny yelled, rubbing the back of his head. "He's ticked… My work here is done."

Bruce released a long sigh before falling into the seat beside Danny, looking at Irwin apologetically. "So… What kind of offenses did he manage to stack up all in one day?"

"Well…"

_Flashback…_

Danny stared at the chemistry book in front of him blankly while the teacher went on, explaining things that were named in the Latin language and made no sense to him. The only thing he knew he would be able to do at that moment was make a tiny bomb with a blast radius of two feet.

If only he had some stronger chemicals on him…

For now, though, he was stuck with a chemistry geek as a partner that was pretty much doing the entire experiment by himself. Danny had literally been called an idiot in higher terms by the confident geek and now he was trying to figure out what the heck the words in front of him meant.

The teacher, Whitney, was going on about how to do the experiment, something about changing the chemical from blue to green. Danny didn't understand the point of the experiment but that was probably because he had zoned out for half the class.

Giving up on learning anything in chemistry class, Danny looked around the table before shrugging and knocking a vial over the edge.

_Crash!_

"Why would you do that?!" The geek yelled at the techno genius while everyone, including Whitney, turned to the sound of the shattering glass.

Danny shrugged and stated "I was bored."

"You did that on purpose?" The teacher questioned, astounded someone would do such a thing.

"Yeah, pretty much." Danny answered, nodding. He grinned and gleefully said "Look, I'll do it again!"

_Crash!_

"Mr. Fenton! Stop breaking the vials." Whitney demanded, glaring at her troubled student with fiery eyes. Danny's grin, which had been nonexistent that day, suddenly came back and he knocked another vial off the side of the table. The ebony-haired boy's partner grabbed all the vials and beakers and moved them to his side of the table, glaring at the troublemaker beside him. Danny just continued to grin.

"If you break another vial, Daniel, you're leaving the class." Whitney stated in warning, still glaring at the fearless teen with a fire in her eyes. She leaned against her desk, hunched over heatedly.

Danny, faking sullenness, nodded and slouched, making the rest of the students in the class calm.

No one liked an angry teacher.

Whitney calmed as well and nodded, returning her attention back to instructing the class. She screamed when there was another loud _crash _and a vial shattered against the whiteboard beside her. The glass shards fell to the floor, a few pieces catching on the plate that held the dry-erase markers.

_Clink, clink, clink…_

Danny clapped and threw his hands in the air victoriously, yelling 'victory'. His partner was absolutely stunned, mouth hanging open and eyes as wide as saucers. The other students in the class copied his reaction while Whitney's brief spike of fear calmed, being replaced with white-hot fury.

* * *

Sighing, Danny watched the computer-lab teacher, Mr. McKenzie, teach on about how to work Microsoft Power-Point in the computer class. At first, he had thought it would be fun to be in a class he had skills in. That is until he found out how lame it was. It had only been ten minutes and Danny wanted to bash his head against a wall.

He was the type of person to hack the government and mess with people's minds by hijacking their accounts. He didn't make pretty power-points for stupid stuff that would change in a couple of months anyways.

Rolling his eyes while the other students listened half-attentively to McKenzie, Danny started playing around with Power-Point. Glancing at the balding teacher, the teen smirked and began to work quietly on a glorious piece of irritation he was currently cooking up.

Some of the other students glanced at the boy warily, having heard stories of his chemistry class or had been in the class altogether.

A smirk on the new kid's face was apparently not a good sign.

Halfway through the class, Danny had finished his little Power-Point, which only consisted of a few slides but a lot of animation. The teen watched McKenzie carefully, waiting for the perfect opportunity to set everything up.

As McKenzie turned his back to Danny, the teen reached out and played with the wires connected to the projector. He took a couple out and plugged a few more in. The girl beside Danny hysterically asked what he was doing in a low whisper but he shushed her, smiling, and told her to just watch. The girl looked around guiltily while Danny moved his mouse around and typed a few things on the keyboard.

The display McKenzie had had up previously changed to Danny's brightly colored first slide while cheesy, classical music played from the speakers. Words slowly faded onto the screen while the startled teacher and students turned to see what was happening on the screen.

A British voice read the words on the screen, saying:

"Why This Class is Useless: A Power-Point."

McKenzie scrambled to figure out how to get the slideshow off the wall as it continued on, listing the supposed reasons why the class everyone was taking was useless.

Danny leaned back in his seat, smiling contently at the chaos.

The girl Danny was sitting next to ratted him out, like expected, and the angry computer-lab teacher dragged the smiling Danny from the room while the slideshow continued on, listing more reasons and telling the other teens how to hack the computers so they could play their first-person shooter games.

* * *

Glaring at his food, Danny sat alone at the lunch-table he had declared for himself. The food from the cafeteria wasn't nearly as disgusting as people made it out to be but he still found himself resenting it. He couldn't figure out why. He just did.

It was one of those things Danny never figured out.

Picking at his mashed potatoes, the teen gave an irritable sigh while trying to think of something that would delight him.

Instead, it only made him more irritable. All the things the boy thought up, he could've been doing at that moment on his couch at home. But _no_, he was stuck in a forsaken school no one wanted to attend anyways. All the 'productive' things he could've been doing and he was wasting his time learning how to use Power-Point, of all things!

Seeing one of the jocks heading by his table, talking and laughing with his buddies, Danny decided it was time to make some enemies out of some of the students and not just the teachers.

The ebony-haired teen tipped his milk over, watching the white liquid spill all over the tiled floor. The jock yelped when he slipped, his lunch going all over him, his clothes, and the floor. Milk stained the back of his jeans, soaking them through. People around the room gasped and tried to see what happened better.

The jock's friends easily picked their buddy back off the ground and the disgruntled football player turned to where Danny was innocently taking a bite of his lunch.

"Did you do that on purpose?!" The jock questioned.

Danny shrugged. "I might've…"

"Why?!"

"Cause I felt like it." Danny answered, smiling up at the jock with his guilty grin. The blonde-haired teen growled before Danny flipped his tray, getting his lunch all over the rest of the football players. He quickly stood and yelled "Food fight!"

Chaos was quickly ensured and Danny retreated from the cafeteria, dodging most of the food being thrown his way. He slipped out, only to run into another angry teacher.

"_Dang it_…"

_Flashback End…_

"He did all that?" Batman asked, _almost_ surprised at how much Danny did in seven hours.

Irwin nodded. "Yes. He did all that, among other things…"

Danny leaned back in his seat even further, a content smile playing on his lips as he closed his blue eyes. He stretched his right leg out while keeping his left ankle on his knee. His arms hung limply over the sides of the chair, relaxed and happy. "I am so special, aren't I?"

"Yes. It takes a certain kind of special to make an entire school hate you." Batman stated, looking at the boy with no sign of amusement on his disguised face.

Danny gave a sarcastic thumbs up.

"Ignoring the fact it's his first day of school here, he needs to straighten out. We don't keep troublemakers here for long." Irwin stated seriously, looking between the happy teen and ticked off adult.

Batman nodded and thwacked the backside of Danny's head. There was a yelp from the teen before he rubbed the aching area, glaring up at the adult with heated blue eyes. "What was that for, you sadistic, nocturnal monster?"

"We're leaving. … And I'm the monster here?"

Danny sighed, grabbed his bag, and stood from his seat. He threw the backpack over his shoulder, thumping against his back unpleasantly. He followed after the adult with a blank expression. "Yes, _you're_ the monster. If you hadn't sent me here, I wouldn't have made the school _explode_ with hatred and contempt."

Irwin sighed as he watched the two leave his office, taking his glasses off and rubbing his face as he did.

Batman and Danny walked out of the school, the latter getting heated looks from a couple of the students he had personally ticked off for the fun of it.

"Was it worth it, making everyone hate you?" Batman asked as they walked past the jocks, earning the bird from the one that had slipped on the milk.

Danny did a mock bow to the boy before continuing on, answering "Hm… I think it was."

"Oh yeah, how'd you come up with that answer?"

"Well, I won't become attached to anything. So if I decide to do something, no one's getting hurt and neither will I. Good plan in my mind." Danny answered, shrugging nonchalantly.

As the two got in Batman's fake-out car, the Dark Knight surmised he might've rubbed off on the boy just a little too much for his taste.

* * *

The next four days followed the same pattern, just not to the same extent as the first. Danny did pay attention in some of the classes while others he was kicked out of for doing things he should not have been doing. (Or for plain ticking someone off in the process of not shutting up in the middle of class.)

This made the unpredictable and the teachers and students wary.

Batman tried bluntly talking to the boy to get him to stop his irksome attitude. That, of course, did not work since Danny found it more amusing.

Adjusting to school was not on the teen's list of things to do. Nor would it be on the list anytime soon.

The Dark Knight thought up plans to get the teen to stop but he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do. Danny just needed something to keep him calm during the day, instead of everyone letting him show unhappy he was by making everyone else unhappy.

Two people who had the ability to cheer the boy up eventually came to Batman's mind and he called them up.

* * *

Tapping his pencil against his desk, Danny stared at Mrs. Kingsley as she went off, telling the announcements for the day. She paced back and forth, reading off the sheet of paper while waving her hand in the air. The woman's heels clacked against the ground with each step she took, the sound echoing throughout the room incessantly.

The other students watched with the same boredom. A couple doodled in their notebooks while the majority scrambled to silently finish the homework they had forgotten to do the night before.

Danny just torched his homework. It was so much easier than actually doing it.

As Kingsley finished up her announcements, the door opened and Danny went wide-eyed at the two figures walking in. A smile overcame the boy's face and a few of the students near the teen looked at him suspiciously, since he never wore a sincere smile _ever_.

Kingsley took the slips from Sam and Tucker's hands, scanned over them, and went through the procedure she did with Danny a few days before. When asked to state one thing about themselves, the two both openly stated that Danny was their best friend.

The student's faces were priceless.

Danny? Have friends? _Impossible_.

As the two took their seats, Sam made sure to give him a big hug around his neck while Tucker put him in a headlock and gave him a big old noogie on the top of his noggin.

Danny flipped them off in retaliation with his huge smile.

* * *

**Two more chapters and an epilogue and this story will be _over_. WOO! (For me anyways... I want to get this and my other one done...)**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: _Tocksters, Nightwing5723, Morningwing Cadriona._**

**Reviews:**

**PHOENIX1020: I know I am! So thankful for homeschooling! And no, I am not.**

**Guest of Honor: HAHA! Yeah, exactly! Poor Danny, so much older than everybody! XD You dream about him too? Fantastic.**

**YumiStar: Here, here!**

**Poohbearmorris: Get better, dude! ...looks like he's not interacting with the other kids...oops...**

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: Oh, I know, right? He's such a pain in the arse!**

**Roselin: *sighs contently* I'm doing a homeschool co-op for high school. So happy.**

**Bibbledoo: Because eighteen ends in teen! Therefore, he is a teen! My bro is 18 and he's a teen still! XD Did you hear all that Danny?**

**Scheffelman: If that were to happen... I think it would make a huge plot twist, dude! WOO!**

**KuriMaster13: I can understand. He's anti-hero by default. Not his choice. XD *slams hand on desk repeatedly as I laugh* Yeah, no kidding! They're gonna need some serious help!**

**Grava: ...never... XD**

**Shadow: Why thank you! Glad you enjoyed so much! :D**

**Expergiscimini: Danny did that. *points to chapter above***

**ShadowPillow: Hm, guess that would be counted as Danny-torture...**

**The Keeper of Worlds: I dread college. XD**

**H. H. Xia: ...surprised he's not dead yet.**

**Ninuhuju: :D Have fun with that! I just get days off whenever.**

**Eirena Gaia: Yes, I wrote that. Glad you enjoyed it. XD Danny's posing as his nephew, supposedly keeping the name of his parents. :D**


	27. Frikkin Crises

Ch.27: Frikkin Crises

Superman watched the teens with a critical eye. His arms were crossed over his chest, blocking the S Shield on his suit. He stood stiffly, body tense, a frown settled firmly on his lips. His blue eyes were troubled, staring at the boy that was currently working on the Justice League's mainframe, his two friends sitting around and occasionally giving suggestions or help.

Graveyard was half in the computer, his legs protruding out from under the desk. One black-clad was bent, foot firmly placed on the ground. The other was splayed out comfortably, foot bouncing back and forth in a sign of nervousness, irritation, or restlessness.

Snowbird and Droid sat at the edge of the desk, chatting away with Graveyard answering questions and asking for tools. The girl was in a half-lotus position, one leg tucked to her while the other was bent. She rested one arm on her propped leg, the other open to grab tools from the toolbox.

Droid sat across from the girl, wearing a skin-tight body suit that he wore when he was usually in his war-bot. The body-suit was plain white with a few grey accents. Goggles were strapped around his head, red lenses gleaming maliciously. Even so, a smile was plastered across his face as he talked with his friends.

Batman was off to the side, working on some new gadget of his that was months in the making. The Dark Knight said something earlier in the day about it not going to be able to work for another couple of weeks though. Some of the schematics were off and Batman was the one to have to fix them, much to his joy.

Frankly, Superman didn't care about Batman's gadget. He cared that there were unfamiliar teenagers playing with the computer in the _Watchtower_.

With quiet steps, the Man of Steel walked over to his long time friend. Standing behind the Dark Knight, he watched the trio mess with the circuitry some more. He would give Batman a couple minutes to give him the time of day before he just interrupted the Dark Knight altogether.

Halfway through Superman's 'deadline', Batman mumbled a "What?" He was half paying attention to his colleague and half paying attention to his new fangled device that probably would make no sense to anybody else.

"Are you sure we should be letting a bunch of unfamiliar teens work on our computer?" Superman asked, glancing down at his friend.

"They're unfamiliar to you, not to me. It will be fine."

_ZZT._

"OW!"

"Would you stop zapping yourself?!" Batman yelled at the black-clad boy exaggerated.

Graveyard, hand singed and smoking, pointed a pair of pliers at the hero, even though he was still half-hanging from the computer. "Shut up! I don't have to be doing this, you know! I could be doing something fun right now!"

Droid and Snowbird snickered at their friend's yells.

"Yeah, your idea of fun is exactly why you're here." Batman stated, giving them a pointed look. Snowbird stuck her tongue out at the Dark Knight. Batman rolled his eyes while Droid smacked his female friend on the arm, telling her not to tick _the_ Dark Knight off. After a few more responses, the two were shouting at the other, gaining the attention of a few other heroes in the station.

Superman rolled his eyes at the display but continued "The last time these three surfaced was over a year ago. After that, they dropped off the face of the earth, never to be seen again! Then they suddenly reappear and you're all buddy-buddy?"

"Aliases, Kent. Aliases." Batman responded cryptically, glancing up at the Man of Steel before refocusing on his gadget.

Superman tried to question Batman on what the heck that meant for the next couple of minutes before giving up, since the Caped Crusader wasn't answering. The Man of Steel stood silently in his thoughts for a long time, watching Batman work and the teens goof off.

Then… It just hit him like a smack in the face.

"The one playing with the computer was the kid on death-row, right?"

"You know, for a person who's supposed to have heightened intelligence, you sure are slow." Batman stated, glancing up at the Man of Steel with a dry expression. Superman looked down at the black-clad hero with his own unhappy expression.

"Ok, so why is it a good idea to let felons into the Watchtower and near our computers?" Superman questioned, watching as Batman turned his gaze back to the unfinished weapon in front of him.

The working hero hummed for a moment before answering "I got all three of them enrolled in school but they got suspended yesterday for triggering another food fight."

"Another?" Superman asked.

"_Yeah_…" Batman drawled. "I'm actually surprised they're only getting suspended now. They set a state record for racking up the offenses. They're quickly getting to national level of 'offenses gained in a week'. I'm not sure if they're doing it to tick off the entire school-body, me, or just trying to set an example for other troublemakers."

"I repeat: you let them come here _why_?" Superman asked, face twisted into a look of worry. He gestured to the teens by/in the computer.

_ZZZZT._

"OW!"

Droid and Snowbird both burst into hysterical laughter while Graveyard screamed "I'm killing you both later for giving me the wrong tool!"

"One: I can watch them closely. Two: They're saving me time by doing that for me. Three: I don't trust the three of them in one apartment together. The last time that happened, they decided to hijack a mall." Batman stated, dryly tilting his head up to the Man of Steel.

"You couldn't have taken them to Chuck-E-Cheese's?!"

"If you don't want them here, why don't _you_ take them?!"

After a few minutes of bickering, the two dropped the entire matter because neither one of them was taking the demon trio _anywhere_.

Superman sighed in irritation before asking the Dark Knight "Is there any other reason you decided to bring them up?"

"I'm working on getting them into the hero business but I've got to get their brutality rate down." Batman said and shrugged, sticking a screwdriver into the device he was working on and beginning to work on some of the screws.

"You're brutal all the time. Why work on their rates?" Superman questioned, crossing his arms again.

"I don't break every last rib in a person's body, crack their skull, or shatter a person's collarbone in two." Batman stated, shifting his eyes up to stare at Superman again. The Man of Steel's face morphed into horror and Batman nodded, satisfied with himself.

_ZZT._

"FRIKKIN- I'M GONNA-"

"Would you stop shocking yourself?!"

"You get down here and work in the dark with nothing but a light strapped to your head, Bats! Then we'll see who has the scorched hands!"

"Graveyard, do me a favor."

"What?"

"_Shut up and work_."

"You started it!"

"Yes, keep yelling at him as if it'll make a difference." Snowbird commented, patting her white-haired friend on the knee. She got a small kick for it.

Droid snickered beside her and got a kick for it too.

Batman rolled his eyes at the displays the teens performed while Superman shook his head. The Dark Knight silently looked back down at his work while the Man of Steel told him to watch the two boys and one girl before leaving. Batman couldn't help but roll his eyes again.

* * *

"You almost done yet?" Batman called, leaning back after letting the work on his gadget die.

"Mm… Depends on how fast I can find the end of this wire." Danny replied, not visible to the naked eye as he had to crawl all the way into the computer to continue on with his work.

"Scissors." Danny called.

Sam grabbed the scissors from the toolbox and started crawling under the desk to give her friend the needed contraption. She grunted as she did and commented "This really is a pain in the arse. Why is this computer so frikkin big?"

Droid rolled his eyes under his goggles and sarcastically asked "We're in a headquarters for a team of superheroes. Why wouldn't they have a frikkin big computer?"

"_Shut up_, Tucker."

"Oh look, Tuck actually managed to tick Sam off. What a surprise." Danny muttered sarcastically, shining his flashlight every which way in the computer to see what he was doing. He coughed a few times and muttered "It's dusty in here."

"I wonder why." Sam said.

Danny scoffed. "Oh, maybe cause they don't have a computer cleaner, even though they desperately need one."

"Do you clean the insides of your computers?" Batman questioned sarcastically.

Tucker snorted. "Actually, he _does_."

The Dark Knight stared at the white-clad boy dryly before stating "Danny, you depress in me ways only known to Superman."

"I'm just _special_ like that." Danny retorted, swatting wildly at a spider-web that he accidently bent into. He spit the thin strings out of his mouth and off his lips, grimacing as he did. Shaking his head, the boy muttered "Hate spider-webs…"

"Watch out for spiders." Sam called up to him.

"Why would I..?"

"Spider-webs mean spiders, moron."

Danny silently mocked Sam, mouthing her words with a stupid face, before snipping some wires with the scissors his female friend gave him. He jumped back, making a small ruckus, when a few dead daddy-longlegs fell from the ceiling down in front of him.

"You ok up there, Danny?" Tucker called.

Danny brushed the small corpses away before replying "Yeah. I just hate spiders."

Sam snickered while Tucker snorted beside her. Batman watched silently, shaking his head with an irked expression on his face.

A few minutes later, Danny had everything all sorted out within the computer system and crawled out.

His white hair had turned grey with dust and cobwebs. Another sheen of dust was covering the rest of his body, excluding his face. Random lint stuck to his clothes determinedly, not even thinking about quitting and leaving the boy's clothes anytime soon.

"Nice look." Sam stated sarcastically.

Danny growled at her, making a mean face.

"Do you got a feather duster?" Tucker teasingly asked Batman, giving him an almost hopeful look.

The Dark Knight, a serious expression settled on his face, shook his head back and forth slowly. "Sorry. Danny's all on his own for this one. Not helping him this time."

"So you want me to walk around your beloved Watchtower looking like the inside of your computer?" Danny asked, giving Batman a hopeless expression.

Batman nodded curtly and waved.

Danny scowled before muttering "I'm gonna go take a shower…"

The teen trudged away, mumbling curses under his breath. Laughing, Sam and Tucker waved after him but he gave them the bird, not even looking behind him as he trudged away.

* * *

As Danny exited the bathroom, messing up his white hair as he did, the alarms lining the hallway started blaring. Heroes immediately perked, racing towards the direction of the main room. He watched for a few minutes before shrugging, following after at a slow jog as he threw his hood up.

The heroes, as expected, flooded into the control room and Danny broke off from the group to stand beside his two friends. They talked in low whispers, not sure of what was going on. Theories sprung up but none of them could come up with anything solid other than some massive villain gang-up.

Superman, in his usual leader way, started explaining to the other heroes what was going on while Batman intercepted the teens, quietly explaining to them what was going on without all the explanations Superman was undoubtedly putting in because people didn't know what certain things were.

Needless to say, the certain breach of security for the world was right in the midst of the trio's strong point.

"How often do portals completely around the world open at this rate?" Batman asked Danny.

The teen made a face before answering "Total around the world portals don't happen often but this could be just a backlash from one of the portals from the last invasion. Since portals travel space and time, one of those portals could have been connected to our present, which would be the reason it's only happening now."

"Wonderful." Batman stated angrily.

Danny nodded before looking at his friends before gazing back at the Dark Knight. "Sam and Tuck are already ready to go. They can go out in the field. It'll only take me a few minutes using your fancy zeta-portal to ransack my old hideout of the ghost equipment and bring it up here."

"Will the bracelets be recharged?" Batman asked.

Danny glared at him. "It's been over a year. _Yes, they're recharged_."

Batman rolled his eyes before telling Sam and Tucker to go and for Danny to get his things quickly. Watching the trio sprint off, he could only sigh and mutter "I can't believe their timing is this impeccable. No one just _gets suspended_ coincidently on the day of an invasion..."

* * *

**Can anyone guess which movie this line is from: "Are you sure you did not say 'Stop the car. Dear God, stop the car.'?" :D**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: _D. A-H .A, Gundamzbd36, Hello2000, Cammandosquirrel, Bibliophilea, Hyper Kitten, Missy Selenity._**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following me in general: _Oyote, Mcosta4581, Hello2000, Bibliophilea._**

**Reviews:**

**YumiStar: Danny's an unpredictable little demon... We never know how he's gonna react. XD**

**PHOENIX1020: Yeah, I just don't have it in me to do it. And it's fine! I totally get it!**

**Poohbearmorris: Yes, suddenly. I'm unpredictable like that... XD Hope you get better soon~! XD**

**KuriMaster13: Hm... It got better and worse, depending on how you look at the situation... XD**

**Kimori Takahashi: Yeah, it's ending... I'm wrapping this story up and the other cause I need a break. XD**

**Guest of Honor: Yep. Killed you all with words. I do try. :D Glad you liked that and I wouldn't recommend doing it! *highs fives***

**Tigergirl1723: It's ok, calm down! XD The mentor question will be answered by the end of the story but their relationship is kinda a mix of all those things. Since Danny is so irritating and Batman is not social whatsoever, it makes their relationship all over the place. I totally get it. XD**

**Roselin: So happy to hear! :D**

**Astroshadow: According to this chapter, right to pot. *sarcastic thumbs up* :D**

**Shadow: Yep. Doomed is the word. XD Those classes make me wonder why you take them but... Oh well! XD **

**Bibbledoo: Yes, I'm finishing it up. The three obviously had fun. XD No, I'm not writing a sequel.**

**Ninuhuju: ...that came later. XD**

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: XD Apparently so. **

**SweetyKinz: YOUR PHONE IS SO JACKED UP. HAHAHAHA! *points and laughs more* XD WE DO MAKE GOOD BUDDIES. WE SHOULD BE COMEDIANS. ;D**

**Phantom Heir Daughter of Zeus: XD Oh yeah, everyone hit the safe houses! **

**HalfaWitchPhysicGirl: Yeah... I'm reaching a point where it needs to end. XD**

**Sarra Torrens: XD It tis! It's why I wrote it!**

**Scheffelman: XD**

**The Keeper of Worlds: XD Ha! Yeah, sure!**

**H. H. Xia: ...obviously not... XD**

**Bibliophilea: Oh my gosh, I'm so happy you've enjoyed! I'm pretty sure the school is not happy... And the whole "exaggerating"-"exasperating" thing was totally intentional. XD**


	28. Really Starting Somewhere

Ch.28: Really Starting Somewhere

"I hope ya'll remember me. I am the pain in the butt that helped you all last time there was a huge ghost invasion." Danny stated, standing in front of the huge crowd of heroes, once again. His expression meant no-nonsense and his head was tilted to the side a centimeter, fists on his hips. "Now, if you can remember my name, you obviously haven't been hit in the head enough times this year. We'll have to change that sometime."

"Get to the point." Batman ordered off to the side, standing beside Superman with his ticked expression.

Danny rolled his eyes but went on, as he was ordered to. "For those who simply have brain damage or you just didn't bother to remember because I was never seen again, I am Graveyard. Pretty sure Bats told you last time I was here. Anyways, the only reason I'm here is cause I got suspended from school and ghost invasion, like I said.

"My two friends, Snowbird and Droid," Danny turned and typed a few things on the keyboard behind him. The screen went from blank to live-video feed of the two that were mentioned in seconds. "are already out and about, sending ghosts back to the Ghost Zone. But they can't do it all."

Superman leaned over to Batman and whispered "Did he just hack another country's satellites?"

Batman brought up his own mini-computer installed in his gauntlet and muttered "It wasn't another countries."

The Man of Steel released a relieved sigh and wiped his brow.

"It's pure American."

_Gotham's Military Base_

"What do you mean you just got reports from the Pentagon that our satellites have been hacked?!" General Olsen yelled at the new techie, whom was soon to be an ex-techie.

Behind the two, papers were flying, people were running, and chaos was totally in control of the base.

Trembling, the techie handed a sheet of paper to the general while stuttering "It's j-just as I-I said, S-Sir... B-Before they lost a-a-all c-c-contact, t-they m-managed to get the h-hacker's name though… They w-wondered if you might k-know who it i-is, Sir… B-Because of his n-name..."

Olsen ripped the sheet of paper from the terrified techie's hand and quickly scanned it over with his fiery eyes.

Under the section that stated the hacker's code name was "Batman's Annoying Responsibility".

…

"THAT LITTLE SON OF A-"

_Watchtower_

"The procedure is going to be the same as it was last time." Danny stated, his voice loud and firm. "Each of you is going to grab a portal-gun. Metas are going to grab a bracelet. Humans will grab ray-gun. If you are human, use your weapons from the last invasion. Ectoranium is resistant to everything earth but it will have some wear and tear to it.

"If you lost or used your weapons to the point of breaking… Sucks for you. Don't die." Danny plainly stated, shrugging. Ignoring a couple of the 'what the heck' looks he was receiving, he ordered everyone to grab their gear and go, go, go. Time was being wasted while they stood around and went over a procedure that should still be remembered.

Danny, first, dug through one of the boxes, pulling out the spool thin, needle, and razor he had used the last time an invasion had struck. He hooked them on his belt like he had the first time, making sure everything was tight and ready for use.

Once he had grabbed these things, he let others step up and take their specified weapons before heading to the fancy portals, teleporting all around the world to take out the invading ghosts. Determined expressions and tense muscles all flashed out of the Watchtower, battle ready.

It soon left only Batman and Danny walking towards the portal, gearing up as they stalked towards the exit. A serious air surrounded them as they walked in sync, playing with their own artillery and double-checking to make sure they had every piece of equipment they needed on them. Dull thuds of their footfalls echoed around the eerily quiet station.

"To think, it was only a little over a year ago that we were in the same situation." Danny stated, glancing out of the corner of his eye to look at his sort-of mentor.

Batman nodded in grim silence. "Time flies."

"That it does." Danny said lowly, letting his eyes drift over to the portal he was walking to, black-clad hero beside him.

"You know the others still don't fully trust you, correct?" Batman asked.

Danny hummed a confirmative. "I do. I know they also don't trust Snowy and Droid. But, honestly, we couldn't care less if we tried. We only need each other. … But if you're worried about us being good, don't worry. We'll act extra cheery and polite _just for you_."

"If you didn't, I would hand you over to Olsen with a bow on top of your head." Batman stated and it took Danny a minute to detect the sarcasm hidden under all of his grim-seriousness. Once found though, the teen stuck his tongue out at the older hero while they came to stop beside the portal.

Danny immediately went up to the controls and began playing around with them. "Where you going, Chief?"

"Somewhere that's not being covered already."

"Have fun in northern Greenland, Batsy. Enjoy the snow for me, will ya?"

While the light enveloped the hero, the Dark Knight couldn't help but roll his eyes at the way Danny said 'see you later'. He was quickly gone from the Watchtower and dumped in a large pile of snow, mumbling curses under his breath.

Meanwhile, Danny typed in his own coordinates for his own destination, cracking his neck and rolling it around as he did. As he finished, the portal lit up and he eagerly jogged into it, mumbling "Now if only there was an awesome theme song to go along with this…"

Palm trees and the bright sunlight suddenly surrounded the teen as the portal dropped Danny off at his destination. He looked around, smirking, before zooming into the air and zipping around quickly to find the ghost and ghost portal that surly lay in the Tampa area.

As all the heroes were doing, Danny flew from city-to-city up the East Coast. He sealed portals, blasted ghosts back to their dead dimension, fought a couple that tried to fight him head-on, and felt a small bit of sympathy for the few who had just fallen through portals from another time period.

In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Danny ran into someone unexpected.

"Johnny! Kitty!" Danny yelled, eyes bulging at the two ghosts roaring through the streets. The biker abruptly stopped his bike when he heard the familiar voice calling to him and his girlfriend. They waved casually while Danny shot down to meet them.

The teen floated beside them and with a stunned voice said "Guys, what are you doing here?!"

"Seriously asking us that?" Kitty asked, pointing to one of the few ghosts floating around in the area.

Danny made a face and mumbled "Bad question…"

"Uh-huh." The couple hummed, smiling humorously while the half-ghost boy rolled his eyes.

Shaking his head, Danny asked "Hey, since you're here, can you help me send all the ghosties back? Kitty, you've got the ability to make and close portals, right?"

Kitty nodded before Johnny asked "What's in it for us?"

Danny shrugged, half-expecting the question to pop up, even though the couple was more than willing to help anyways. "You both get to kick other people's butts back to their homes and then, if you promise you won't cause any trouble, I'll let you hang in the Human Realm whenever you want."

"Since when did you care if we cause trouble or not?" Johnny asked, a confused expression adorning his face.

"You are Danny, right?" Kitty asked.

Rolling his eyes, the teen answered "_Yes_, I'm Danny. I'll have to tell you the story later. A lot has happened since the last time we met up. Anyways, do we have a deal or not?"

Johnny and Kitty shared a look before they both looked back at the waiting teen. "Deal."

Smiling, Danny nodded back. "Thanks guys. I've got one more question before you go though."

"That would be?" Johnny asked curiously.

"Can you guys round up our other buds and get them to help too? Ember, Youngblood, Desiree, Wulf, Dora, Frostbite… Maybe Skulker and Technus, to a lesser extent?"

"Technus still wants your head on a pike for making his computer explode."

"Ok then, grab Sidney instead of him! Can you just do that for me?" Danny pleaded, rolling his eyes.

"We'll do it, Little D. Calm down." Kitty teased, smiling.

The teen finally smiled back before saying "Alright, thanks. See you guys on the flip-side!"

With that, Danny zipped off high into the air again, chasing after a lost ghost while Johnny let his bike roar and zoom off down the street, Kitty whooping behind him before she opened a portal and allowed them into the Ghost Zone, the green tear closing behind them automatically once they were safely through.

Danny sewed the portal in Bridgeport back up and blasted the few ghosts hanging around back to the Ghost Zone before he switched cities again. He did the same to a few others before moving on to his 'new' home base in Gotham.

Since the gothic city was like a magnet for anything sadistic and criminal, the area was filled up with more ghosts than the other cities. It was also filled with the more irritating and vial ghosts like Spectra, her assistant Bertrand, and the ghost warden Walker. The three and about six more like them hated Danny with a passion because he was a rule breaker, a pain in the arse, and he was slippery. All of that equaled up to one heck of a mess with a body.

As Danny was fighting with Spectra, one of the more elusive ghosts of the Ghost Zone, the troops that had been wandering around the city, _still looking for the AWOL teen_, were called in to both assist Danny in capturing Spectra (though it wouldn't matter much) and to take him in after.

While the soldiers didn't want to take Danny into custody in the middle of a ghost invasion, Olsen didn't see much of a problem with it since he had a hunch Danny helped start it, though there was no proof to prove so.

"Wow, wow, wow!" Danny yelled as the troops starting closing in. "What is this? Get out of here, morons! You trying to get yourselves killed?"

Yelping, the boy jumped out of the way of a purple energy blast from his enemy. Growling, he engaged with Spectra again, shooting at her with the portal gun, but only succeeding in sending random benches and signs to the Ghost Zone, not the ghost.

Laughing, the specter taunted "Ah, is the little fighter getting distracted easily?"

"I have to be worried about those idiots! If I don't, they get to try and kill me." Danny retorted, shooting forward with an ecto-powered punch. Spectra missed, as usual, making irritation spike in the teen since he had barely been able to land a hit on her. Her assistant was easy to take down but Spectra was not.

Humming, Spectra sang "Well, that doesn't seem fair at all! Poor Graveyard!"

Laughing sarcastically but not phased by the comment, Danny stated "Trust me, it's not. I'm just lucky there's one brain-donor in the world that actually thinks I'm worth saving, amazingly enough."

The fight continued on with both ghosts trying to take the other out. The soldiers, upon being ordered, intervened at times, causing both ghosts to become agitated at their presence more-so than they already had been. Focusing on humans when they should have been focusing on the larger opponent was frustrating.

Olsen appeared in a 'borrowed' car, quickly trying to take down Spectra so he could apprehend the boy again. He was quickly shot away and burned by a purple ecto-blast. As he was getting up, his eyes widened at another purple blast flying towards him, ready to incinerate his body.

Danny shot in front of the general, a green shield falling into existence between the 'heroes' and the villain.

The purple burst exploded upon impact with the liquid green shield, leftover purple energy flying into the air around them before fizzling from existence and leaving the area clear.

Danny shot a look over his shoulder and hissed "You _so_ owe me for that, especially since I _wanted_ to leave you to die. Frikkin morons…"

The hooded ghost shot off again, flying straight towards the female ghost at high speeds before ramming into her, catching Spectra by surprise. They both tumbled to the side before a blue-white beam shot Spectra from the Human Realm, dumping her off in the Ghost Zone again.

Danny saluted to the troops before zipping off again, leaving a small gust of wind in his wake. Olsen could only watch after the teen, wide-eyed in amazement.

After finishing up the East Coast, Danny started traveling inland. Much to his joy, Johnny and Kitty had made good with their promise and a whole batch of ghosts were flying around the world, taking down other ghosts and sending them back to their home dimensions. A few even managed to seal up portals, if they could.

For this, Danny was thankful that he didn't have to do all the work with the needle and thread. After a brief meeting with Batman over coms, the entire Justice League knew of the helper ghosts and was informed of which ones they were. Once this was over and done with, Danny could really focus on the mission.

Sam and Tucker were doing extraordinarily well taking down the ghosts and, occasionally, working with the other wary Leaguers, gaining their trust bit by bit.

As the residents of the Human Realm became making a dent on the population of the ghosts, they closed in on the specters from all sides of the world. The ectoplasmic spirits ganged up towards the end of the long, hard battle but it quickly came to an end once they were all there.

With the last specter gone and the last portal closed, the Justice League and helper ghosts cheered in victory.

Danny landed on the ground, tired and sweating. His smile was huge under his hood, however, and he raised his fist in victory as well. His two friends quickly ganged up on his sides, hollering and happy.

The teen's ghostly friends quickly ganged up on him also, quickly engaging in a conversation since it apparently had been so long since the last time they had seen him. Sam and Tucker quickly engaged with a few too, as they had been introduced to the ghosts long ago.

Off to the side, Superman and Batman watched with calm eyes.

"You know… He's not as bad as he makes himself out to be." The Man of Steel commented, looking at his friend with a small smile. "He might be able to actually make it in this business."

Batman made an indistinguishable face. "I know. It might take a few years-"

"Excuse me, _years_? What did I miss?"

"-but we'll eventually get him to come around entirely. We have a long road ahead of us…" Batman mumbled before he walked off.

Superman looked between the teen among his friends and the boy's sort-of mentor before following after, repeating "_Years_? Are you messing with me?"

* * *

**Kitty does not have the ability to make portals in the DP series. I made that up, as well as a few other things, to help Danny out for once.**

**This is the last chappie! Tomorrow I'm posting the Epilogue! WOOOO! GOD BLESS AMERICA! IT'S FINISHED! *sets off firecrackers***

**Reviews:**

**YumiStar: They're a bunch of evil, genius demons. It's almost guaranteed. XD**

**Roselin: Glad I'm the comic relief you needed! Hope the pain goes away. :)**

**Guest of Honor: Yeah... They could probably make it if they were homeschooled but... Whatever. XD Ha! I don't like Supes all that much either. **

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: XD That place just creeps me out period.**

**Sarra Torrens: Glad you got a kick out of it! That sounds like so much fun. *sarcasm implied***

**16ckelman: Yeah, they really should, right? Crappy principal right there. XD**

**Kimori Takahashi: XD Ah, thanks~! My break will probably be tiny but who cares? XD**

**Scheffelman: Always. :D**

**IWasNeverReaL I'VE MISSED YOU! XD I thought you were gone forever! ...their talent would be annoying the entire crowd... XD**

**Guest(1): Of course it was~! What else would it be? XD**

**Ninuhuju: ...who's he?**

**KuriMaster13: XD Holy crap, that would've been hilarious! The only reason that didn't happen is cause I've never played the game, nor watched the videos...**


	29. Epilogue

Epilogue

_Six Months Later…_

Prancing around his room, Danny jammed out to his extremely loud heavy metal. The rough voices of the singers and the almost scratchy tune of the instruments flooding from the stereo didn't match up with the way Danny was dancing around the room. Nevertheless, the teen continued on with his motions, total lack of concern for his reputation showing like a giant, neon sign.

While bouncing around his room, raising the temperature of the bedroom with the rising of his own body temperature, Danny made sure to check his holographic screens for signs of foul play and illegal activity.

Of course, what he was looking at was all foul play and illegal activity but he was searching for the major stuff: big heists, assassinations, world domination kind of stuff.

As he glided by the windows, Danny couldn't help but admire the view of Las Vegas off in the distance, shrouded in moonlight and lit up like a nightlight. The city was in its usual hustle-bustle mood, never slowing but always speeding up. Who knew what crimes were happening at that moment?

The teen didn't ponder it too much. Crime was something that would be around forever. There would always be the rule-breakers, the angry outcasts, the revenge seekers, and the psychos. There were infinite in numbers and the numbers were always growing, even in their infinity.

But just as there would always be sin, the justice-seekers would always be there as well. They'd try to stop crime, always trying so hard, but they'd never see their dream. But at least they still believed in the right thing to do and continued on, living in the false sense of hope that world peace would exist one day.

Danny glided back to his computers, thinking that maybe there might be world peace. One day. A day long from the present but still… One day.

Falling onto his knees, Danny pretended to strum the last chords of the song before whooping and falling onto his back, feet flopping into the air. They landed roughly on the ground again but the teen was smiling happily.

It was good to be back in his old hideout, the apartment that the teen had dubbed his box of secrets way back when, in Las Vegas. It was home, of course. Always had been. His absence had done nothing to damper his wonderful memories of the place.

Danny laid on the ground for the next couple of songs, bobbing his head back and forth happily. The smile on his face was splitting his face in half and almost looked like a grimace. Either way, his dark blue bangs fell into his face and covered his face like one of the troublemakers in Las Vegas High.

And there were a lot of those in Las Vegas High...

The teen, while jamming out on the floor, heard a small thump in the direction of the window (oh, _the window_…). Danny didn't open his eyes or stop smiling though.

"The door. Use it next time."

"You've been telling me that ever since I've met you. It's not gonna happen."

Danny pouted while he opened his eyes, propping himself up on his elbows. He tilted his head up at his sort-of mentor and made a puppy-dog face, hoping to get the hero to comply to his wishes while silently knowing that his visitor wasn't ever going to give in to his demands.

"No." Batman stated plainly.

"I figured." Danny commented while getting up, dusting himself up and ruffling his long hair up.

"You need a haircut."

"You need lessons on how to walk through a door."

"Just drop the matter already!"

Danny stuck his tongue out at the Dark Knight before pouting again. The eighteen-year-old yelped when his head got slapped, his stunned face quickly morphing into a glare as he stared at Batman with contempt.

Batman rolled his eyes. "Anything new I need to know about?"

Danny shrugged, walking closer to his set of his computers while answering "Nope. Nothing huge has been scheduled over the Net. I told you if I knew anything, you'd be the first to know. Why can't you accept this, you untrusting beast?"

"Remember what happened last month?"

"That was an accident!"

"And the month before that?"

"Ok, that one really _was_ an accident."

"Then what was last month?!" Batman asked, wildly.

Danny shrugged, leaning against his desk casually. "That would be me ignoring another assassination attempt on Luthor. I still can't believe that son of a biscuit survived…"

Ignoring the odd swear, Batman pressed a hand to his face and let out a long sigh. "You know we have to save everyone, _right_?"

"Seriously? That's so stupid!" Danny yelled.

Batman let out another _long_ sigh. "This really is going to take years…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Let's just get the call out of the way." Batman suggested, walking forward to stand beside the teen. Danny huffed but typed a few commands, the words 'Calling: Sailor's Mouth' flashing across the holographic screen.

A few rings later, General Olsen was staring at the screen with his usual grim expression. He said his plain greeting and the three went through the motions they had been repeating every week since the ghost invasion with Batman assuring Olsen that the teen hadn't done anything illegal, Danny making Olsen doubt such assurances, and the general struggling with who to believe.

Batman finally just slapped a hand over Danny's mouth and threw him out into the hallway outside the door, finishing up the video call with Olsen while Danny laughed loudly and hysterically in the hallway. The two mature grownups only rolled their eyes before hanging up.

Batman let Danny walk back into his apartment, tears of laughter streaming down the boy's face. Rolling his eyes, the Dark Knight sighed.

"You know, if you keep ticking him off, he's going to push the last call-in back another six months." Batman commented, hoping to let the teen know he probably should learn to shut his huge mouth.

Danny grinned at his almost mentor. "Oh, I know! And every time we call, I really do plan on behaving. But so many other options present themselves and I throw that plan right out the window, following you…"

Batman rolled his eyes again, walking towards the window. "See you next week, Danny."

"Wait! Batsy!" Danny said, hopping up beside the Dark Knight. "I wanna ask you something and, I swear, it's not sarcastic."

"Yes?"

"Take me to Gotham with you?"

"Why?" Batman asked curiously.

"I wanna see my sister." Danny answered, staring at the Dark Knight with a hopeful expression as he brushed his midnight blue bangs out of his face.

Batman nodded his acceptance without hesitation.

Danny mumbled a 'yes' before grabbing a go-bag and following eagerly after his sort-of mentor. The two chatted all the way back to Gotham, the teen not having any self-restraint when it came to his mouth. Batman tried to teach Danny some etiquette but that didn't work out as well as he thought it would.

Once in Gotham, Danny hung out with Double A again (though he knew his name was Alfred) until the teen knew his sister would be home from work. Once the sun started setting, he snuck into the Bat-Cave and wrote a quick note for Batman and Alfred.

Done with that, Danny hijacked the Bat-Cycle and zoomed out, just as the newly costumed Batman ran in.

Seeing the note, the Dark Knight read over it before throwing it behind him, sighing and shaking his head, though proud Danny managed to hijack his cycle.

Zooming through the streets of Gotham, Danny whooped and hollered. The bike under him was so much more awesome than the one he owned. The blue lights on the sides made him like a blue streak as he raced by cars and everyone made sure to give 'the Dark Knight' some space as he zipped by.

Pulling into an alleyway and hiding the bike with its hologram-generator, Danny hopped off and slipped out of the alley. He looked across the street and looked at the townhouse across the street. He took a deep breath before jaywalking across the street (in his irritating way) and hopping up the steps to the door. Knocking, Danny waited for someone to answer.

It took only a few seconds for someone to be alerted of his presence outside. The sounds of locks being undone rang out and the door quickly opened, Jazz behind the door with her glasses on her face.

Seeing the visitor she had, Jazz's eyes went wide and she quickly hugged the boy. Danny eagerly hugged her back, face being buried in her chest.

Jazz pulled away first, cupping her hands on Danny's face with a smile and teary eyes. The eighteen-year-old smiled up at her, placing his own hands over his sister's. The woman jerked her head for the boy to follow her inside, taking his hand and tugging.

Danny followed behind his sister willingly, stepping into the house and shutting the door behind him. Jazz, still holding his hand, led him into the living room, where all the occupants instantly looked up to see who Jazz had brought with her.

The teen first noticed her husband. The man, named Robert (or so said his file), had graying black hair with intense green eyes. He wore a pale blue button-up shirt with tan khakis. He wore no shoes but his socks were white with plain grey accents. A pair of glasses surrounded his green eyes, a curious expression lying within them.

Next, Danny noticed the two kids sitting on the ground. One was a girl, named Kellie. She had black hair, like her father, but her mother's bright teal eyes. The boy, named Levi, was the opposite with orange hair and green eyes.

The two children stared up at the unexpected visitor with their own curious eyes, hands in mid-air while they held their toys in their slack grip.

The last two people Danny noticed were his parents, sitting in two chairs in the back. Both pairs of eyes were wide in shock and they couldn't comprehend any other emotion to go along with it.

Upon seeing them, Danny's eyes darkened and he straightened his lax posture. Defense would be the first word one would think of when looking at the boy.

Jazz put a hand to Danny's back, instantly relaxing him again. The two looked at each other, icy blue eyes staring up into a calmer teal. Jazz patted the boy's shoulder and his dark expression faded. Looking back to the two in the back of the room, Danny let a humorous smile slip onto his lips and said "I hope you all have popcorn because this is going to be quite a show, folks."

* * *

**I'm so happy with this ending. I wrap everything up but leave the option for a sequel open, if I ever get the motivation to do so. I'm happy. I make no promises on a sequel though. Just sayin'. **

**Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed! I loved hearing ya'll's feedback and knowing that you all enjoyed! Even you silent readers and guests! :D**

**Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: _Mcosta4581._**

**Reviews:**

**Eirena Gaia: :D Aw, dude, that means so much to me! I'll probably do another criminal-Danny thing in the future so yeah~!**

**Roselin: You have~! I wuv you~! :D**

**HalfaWitchPhysicGirl: It's ok! It's ok! *hands you tissue* It's just a story! XD**

**KuriMaster13: XD I could do that sometime.**

**Sarra Torrens: Haha! Isn't that wonderful?**

**Bibliophoia: You're right. It will take years. Many, many years... And that's pushing it. XD ...I never thought of the Kitty thing like that. Thanks for that! :D**

**YumiStar: You forgot unforgiving and more than enough brutal but he'll be good. XD**

**Expergiscimini: XD I'm glad you had fun and I plan on it! WOO!**

**Anime Hotty Lover. 18: ...NO, OH LORD NO!**

**Scheffelman: Here is the epilogue! XD**

**Shadow: He can be a moron, right? XD Danny playing with Olsen's mind is always interesting.**

**Ninuhuju: ...that's why I don't recognize it. XD**

**IWasNeverReal: That's cause Supes don't know Danny like Bats does. XD**

**16ckelman: It takes a lot of willpower but he does get it done. XD I don't see his brutality rate lowering anytime soon...**

**Bibbledoo: No, Danny ain't dyslexic. I would've told you. And I think I've got enough backstory covered. :)**

**Poohbearmorris: :D Aww, that means so much to me! You have no idea how happy I feel! :DDDD**


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